[christ, tim looks like a caged animal, or more aptly - one of those dogs in an aspca commercial with nervous eyes huddling in on itself from a confined space. the confident boy who would come in here, bag at his side and gesturing animatedly while chatting him up on everything from genocide in palestine to us foreign policy in china is nowhere to be found. that bag might as well be a barricade to protect himself from hawk, and the panicked energy roiling off of him is palpable. it makes hawk's lips twist into a small frown, wondering if the seeming erosion of confidence is also his fault. what else would it be? he's wrongly assumed any of those money problems would have disappeared with the three grand he'd sent back to boot.
i'm fine was the answer he'd been dreading, but predicted in some way. brushing it off, pretending all was well. and he supposes there's no one to blame but himself - considering he did insist they both pretend that nothing at all happened over break. and tim follows suit, enough that it prompts that good boy in his own mind, too, and hawk glances away for a brief moment to wet his lips and will away the inappropriate intrusion.]
You've got a heavy course load this semester, I get it. I'm not trying to add to that.
[he tilts his head slightly, trying to get tim to meet his gaze and see the honest to god compassion in his gaze. it's not any different than he ever was in this context before, because hawkins fuller had always been a teacher first, and frankly a damn good one. one who cares about his students, who would have noticed this change in tim without the faculty meeting or if that disastrous meetup have never happened at all. it's not like he stopped caring from then until now - it's just...complicated. but he has no idea his words have turned tim upside down, the cause for his heartache and retreating back into a shell he didn't know existed.]
If your last essay was anything to go by, you've been taking excellent notes. But try and give yourself a break - get some rest this weekend if you can. Work yourself to the bone and you'll burn out.
[god, everything seems like it's a step too far now, doesn't it? his eyes widen for a moment, hoping tim knows he means work as in simply school work. so he barrels ahead.]
And by the way, you're never interrupting. Those interruptions happen to be the highlight of most of my classes. You got almost half the students involved that day you brought up McCarthyism two months ago, remember that? Last few weeks and I haven't heard a peep from you, even when I brought up Vietnam. Feels a little like I've been left hanging.
[it feels like he's going in a circle again - like tim is reading something between the lines that isn't there. it makes hawk's shoulders sag a little in disappointment, leaning back in his chair and watching tim's desperation to leave.]
Look - none of this is a criticism. We're just concerned about a student that's made a lasting impression on his professors, is all.
no subject
i'm fine was the answer he'd been dreading, but predicted in some way. brushing it off, pretending all was well. and he supposes there's no one to blame but himself - considering he did insist they both pretend that nothing at all happened over break. and tim follows suit, enough that it prompts that good boy in his own mind, too, and hawk glances away for a brief moment to wet his lips and will away the inappropriate intrusion.]
You've got a heavy course load this semester, I get it. I'm not trying to add to that.
[he tilts his head slightly, trying to get tim to meet his gaze and see the honest to god compassion in his gaze. it's not any different than he ever was in this context before, because hawkins fuller had always been a teacher first, and frankly a damn good one. one who cares about his students, who would have noticed this change in tim without the faculty meeting or if that disastrous meetup have never happened at all. it's not like he stopped caring from then until now - it's just...complicated. but he has no idea his words have turned tim upside down, the cause for his heartache and retreating back into a shell he didn't know existed.]
If your last essay was anything to go by, you've been taking excellent notes. But try and give yourself a break - get some rest this weekend if you can. Work yourself to the bone and you'll burn out.
[god, everything seems like it's a step too far now, doesn't it? his eyes widen for a moment, hoping tim knows he means work as in simply school work. so he barrels ahead.]
And by the way, you're never interrupting. Those interruptions happen to be the highlight of most of my classes. You got almost half the students involved that day you brought up McCarthyism two months ago, remember that? Last few weeks and I haven't heard a peep from you, even when I brought up Vietnam. Feels a little like I've been left hanging.
[it feels like he's going in a circle again - like tim is reading something between the lines that isn't there. it makes hawk's shoulders sag a little in disappointment, leaning back in his chair and watching tim's desperation to leave.]
Look - none of this is a criticism. We're just concerned about a student that's made a lasting impression on his professors, is all.
Like I said, try and get some rest.