And a Little Bit of Studying Too

Student life has always looked more or less the same everywhere and at any time: growing up, searching for personal connections, defining one's preferences, the first sip of alcohol, the first kiss, the first sex, the first love, the first broken heart, fights, intrigues—a tumultuous life brimming with hormones and a dizzying array of choices. Sure, there was the occasional need to study, but that was far from the main focus. It was more of a necessity to remain enrolled and to keep running, searching, arguing, falling in love—never forgetting, never wasting a single drop of precious time. 

The days raced by at a dizzying speed, and with each one, the feeling of something missed, undiscovered, or untried grew stronger. 

The second semester flew past like a single day. 

Kirill still hadn't given up hope of building a relationship with Anya. By now, he had long since dropped the pretense of being Artem's fake boyfriend and had become just another member of their lively, eclectic crew—a group he could never quite fully integrate into. He always felt like a piglet among a flock of graceful flamingos. 

Still, despite this, his friends treated him warmly, accepting him as an equal in all their misadventures. Yet, as time went on, it became harder for him to be near Anya without seeing any way to grow closer to her. For all her freedom with the guys, she had immediately cast Kirill in the role of a trusted friend, leaving no room for any kind of intimacy in their relationship. 

Artem finally managed to relax. He hadn't expected to feel so genuinely glad to see the solidly bonded gay-couple—Yura and Valera—who had clearly found each other and fit together as perfectly as two halves of Yin and Yang. Of course, what made him happiest was that their attention was now entirely focused on each other, leaving him completely out of the picture, even in passing. It was obvious that their relationship grew closer and stronger with each passing day. 

For the first time in a while, he could peacefully shift his attention to the girls from other faculties, with whom he was carrying on carefree little flings, supposedly in secret from Dasha, and thoroughly enjoying life. 

Like Artem, Vadim was busy courting girls, though he stuck to those from other faculties as well. He and Artem often turned it into a competition, with Anya joining in as an equal player—though her specialty was boys, much to the delight of her friends, as she never got in their way. 

On their own faculty, the entire group maintained a dignified and steady demeanor, carefully preserving their reputations. The only exception was Max, who prided himself on being unattached and made a point of it. He even flaunted his freedom, gathering an impressive haul of girls from their faculty without the slightest hint of shame. 

In this way, their personal territories were clearly delineated, and there were more than enough trophies to go around for everyone. 

By the end of the academic year, Kirill had made a firm decision to transfer to another university. It was the only way he could rid himself of his attachment to Anya and start building a normal life—like everyone else. 

"Where are you headed?" Artem asked him. "What's better there? This is the best university, you've already gotten in and earned a good reputation here. Over there, it's a different city, different people, and a different level of education." 

"I just don't want to do engineering anymore," Kirill replied. "When I applied, I thought it would be interesting, but now I realize I've outgrown it. I want to study law. Here, I already checked, I don't have enough points to transfer even to the first year. But there, I can transfer straight to the second year. I just need to pass a couple of additional exams, but I've already looked at the topics—it's manageable. And I don't want to lose a year, either." 

"Wow… I'm going to miss you…" Artem said suddenly, sounding genuinely upset. "You were such a good guy to me, even if a fake one," he joked. 

"Well, then!" Kirill smirked. "If you ever decide to switch sides, give me a call. I'll think about it." He laughed. 

"Look at this guy!" Artem exclaimed, feigning outrage. "He's going to think about it? I might be saving my gay-virginity just for you!" 

"And if you're damaged goods, I won't even want you for free," Kirill countered sternly. "I'll come to you a virgin, for sure!" 

"Well, aren't you picky!" Artem continued the playful banter, dragging out his words in mock disapproval. 

"What did you expect? I know my worth!" Kirill declared proudly. 

"Alright, just promise you'll write. Don't forget about me!" Artem asked sincerely. 

"Ah," Kirill waved dismissively, "we all promise that, and no one ever keeps their word. I don't like empty talk or making promises I'm not sure I can keep. You call me! I'll always be happy to hear from you." 

Artem walked him to the university gates. They hugged, and Kirill stepped through the doors and out into the world beyond. 

Before leaving, Kirill decided to say goodbye not only to Artem but also to Valera. After all, no matter what, Valera had been a significant chapter in his life, opening his eyes to many things and helping him understand even more. They met at a café in front of the university entrance. 

"I'm leaving you in Yuri's reliable hands," Kirill began as they parted. 

"Who would've thought you were straight? I was convinced straight guys don't act like you," Valera said. 

"And I never thought gay guys could be like you. And as for someone like Yuri being gay—that was a revelation!" 

They both burst out laughing. 

"I'm going to call you all the time!" Valera warned. "Don't you dare ignore me. I'll show up in your boring little town myself. They're not as tolerant of gays there as they are here. I'll throw you such a show! The whole town will be talking about you. Then I'll leave." His threat was almost serious. 

"Alright, alright. No need for threats," Kirill replied, trying to calm him down. "I'm not going anywhere. Call me, of course." 

"I'm already sad," Valera said earnestly. "I feel like crying." 

"What is it with you? Such a crybaby. You start tearing up over nothing," Kirill said. "And here I am, stuck swallowing the lump in my throat because of you. Do you think it's easy watching a guy cry? When it's a girl, it breaks your heart, but when it's a guy, you don't even know what to do about it." 

"Fine," Valera sniffled, wiping his nose. "I won't. I'll cry later." 

Kirill stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Valera's shoulders. 

"Just take care of yourself, okay? Don't go looking for trouble, and don't walk around alone without Yuri. That'll make me feel better." 

"Mm-hmm," Valera mumbled, wiping away stubborn tears. 

"There it is…" Kirill muttered. "You're crying again," he added, trying to comfort him. 

***

Of course, the annual exams turned into yet another round of "who's cooler" between Vadim and Artem, but achieving higher than the highest possible score remained out of reach for both. They were equally disheartened by this "tie" and spent the farewell party before summer break drowning their shared sorrow in an endless supply of alcohol. Once the two of them collapsed like lifeless logs onto the same bed, the girls, with a brief goodbye, left them in their unconscious state and headed off to their parents' homes. 

Max also stopped by their room to say his farewells before leaving, but realizing that waking them was a pointless endeavor, he left them an unfinished bottle as a hangover remedy and made his way to his house in the countryside.

Artem and Vadim were on their way home by train, sitting across from each other on the side seats of the compartment, reading books in silence and gloom, each gathering strength to manage a polite smile and pretend to be loving brothers in front of their mothers. 

"Don't you dare tell our mothers anything about what happened with Kirill and Valera!" Artem grumbled at the pensive Vadim. 

"What's in it for me?" Vadim asked, calculating, already thinking about how he could use such a juicy tidbit for blackmail. 

"You'll get a beating for that!" Artem replied. 

Despite Artem's sweet and angelic nature, Vadim was the only punching bag Artem had ever felt comfortable pounding with all his might, ever since they were little. Strangely, Artem always felt bad about hitting anyone else, and he tried to resolve any conflict with words, but when it came to Vadim, he didn't hold back. 

Vadim vividly remembered the painful sting of Artem's small fists and wasn't eager to get into another physical altercation. 

"Alright, I won't tell anyone about your twisted attachments," Vadim shot back sarcastically. 

Artem glared, his face flushing with anger. 

"You're the pervert! Everywhere I need to be, I'm a virgin. But you, I'm not so sure about," Artem retorted. 

"Well, I wouldn't trust you to inspect my private parts anyway," Vadim countered. 

"Thank God!" Artem exclaimed sincerely. "I wouldn't want to see something I couldn't unsee! I want to sleep without nightmares." 

"Well, for you it's a nightmare, but everyone else seems to like it just fine. What's wrong with you?" Vadim couldn't resist teasing Artem further. 

"Unlike you, I'm not interested in other guys' opinions about my junk. So I'm fine, thank you very much." 

"Aha… So you're just messing with them? Well, alright then. Good strategy! I approve! So that's why you don't go to saunas and avoid public showers." 

"Yeah. I don't want to expose myself to all the lice and fungi. Life is much easier without them. And I also don't like flashing my goods in front of other guys." 

"Shy, huh? I get it. If I had a 'business' like yours, I'd be ashamed to show it to respectable people too." 

"You're an idiot! And your jokes are dumb!" Artem snapped back. 

Vadim spent a long time thinking of ways to continue the banter, but seeing how well he had managed to fluster Artem, he decided to leave it at that. He settled into a self-satisfied silence, diving back into his book.

***

At the doorstep of Artem's home, his mother Tanya was already waiting for them. She spotted the boys from a distance and nearly jumped with joy when she saw they had finally returned after a year of absence. 

"Vadim, darling! Artem!" she cried, pulling them both into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much! Oh, come inside! Come on in!" she urged them, gently pushing them toward the door. "Hurry up, come inside." 

"Mom, what about Mom?" Vadim asked, a bit confused. 

"Nina's not here yet. She's coming tomorrow," Tanya replied. "She really wanted to be here when you arrived, but you know how it is, work… and then…" 

She bustled around, trying to make the boys comfortable, moving chairs around, even dragging over a large, heavy armchair, not allowing them to help. She was both crying from happiness and laughing, wiping away her tears with a kitchen towel. 

"Oh my God! How much you've grown! You're so much more mature! You've become real heartthrobs!" she exclaimed. "How wonderful you both are!" 

Vadim stood there, tense. 

"What do you mean, 'and then'?" he asked cautiously. 

"Well, since I've started, I guess I should continue," Tanya thought to herself. "She finally met this wonderful man…" she began, awkwardly leading into the conversation. 

"How?" Vadim asked, suddenly looking completely lost, as if he had lost something irreplaceable. 

Tanya gently sat down next to Vadim on the couch and tenderly took his hands in hers.

"Son, dear... We've lived only for you since the moment you were born! We've never thought about ourselves. You are our happiness! You are everything we love! But now, you're grown up. I'm sure that over this year, you've learned and understood a lot. I hope now you can understand us too." 

"Mom!" Artem exclaimed. 

"What is it, Mom?" she replied sternly. "I've been your mom for twenty years, and God willing, I'll be for many more. I'm a woman too, you know, not just a mom!" 

"Vadim," she said, turning to him and shifting her tone to something softer. "You shouldn't be upset. You should be happy for your mother." 

"What man? Is she a little girl or something?" Vadim blurted out, sounding upset. 

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" she snapped. "I'll grab the belt, and I'll give you a good spanking if you don't stop that!" she scolded him. 

"Don't!" Artem quickly intervened. "Otherwise, he might start liking it," he joked. 

"Oh, so now you want a spanking too?" she switched her attention to him. 

Vadim shrunk back and, like a child, collapsed against her chest, curling up like he had just swallowed a bitter pill. Tanya gently wrapped him in her arms, rocking him slightly like a baby, and stroked his head. 

"You're my dear... You're my joy... You're my sunshine..." 

"I'm your sunshine," Artem declared with a pout, sticking out his bottom lip. 

"Watch it, or I'll give you a slap so hard, you'll see stars," she threatened, snapping at him. Vadim couldn't hold it in and started to quietly laugh. 

"My little treasure, my samovar gold!" she called to him, now softening her tone. "Come here," she said, patting the side of the couch beside her, the one not occupied by Vadim. 

Artem carefully settled next to his mother and leaned against her, just like Vadim. She began rocking them both gently, as she had when they were children, stroking their heads, alternating kisses on the crown of one and then the other:

"How glad I am that you've returned. My sweethearts! How I've missed you. I hope you're back for the full two months?"

"Uh-huh!" they responded in unison, nodding synchronously.

"Well, thank God for that!" she exclaimed. "We'll fatten you up a bit, you've both lost so much weight, I can feel your ribs through your clothes."

"Well, with the way you're feeling, you'd probably find them even through a ten-centimeter layer of fat," Artem replied playfully, like a child.

His mother laughed heartily.

"You could have brought your girlfriends too."

"Yeah! So you could feed them up too?" Artem joked.

"And what's wrong with that? Don't you like normal ones? You only want the hangers, don't you?" his mother asked sternly.

"They're always on diets," Vadim said, smiling.

"Oh, fools!" his mother commented. "They'll just ruin their stomachs. And then how will they give birth? Will they do it with their bones?"

"See, you always focus on the same problem!" Artem protested. "They'll find a way to give birth when the time comes."

"Oh!" his mother said, looking at her son, who had suddenly turned into a little know-it-all. "Where will they find it? You can't just get that quickly. Do you know how long it takes to prepare to carry a baby? For you, it's in-out, and it's done. But for her, nine months of carrying it, eating for both herself and the baby! And then another two years of breastfeeding to feed the little one properly! You need reserves for that!"

"Well, Mom, you're acting like we're already planning the wedding," Artem continued to resist.

"And why not?" his mother perked up. "Nina and I aren't against it. We'd be ready today! Just give us the green light!"

"At least let me finish my studies first!" Artem pleaded.

"Yes, study, what's stopping you?" his mother reassured him. "Study! You won't get any smarter, of course, but at least you'll see life. A little experience before the wedding…" she added with a wink.

"Now you're making it sound like a wedding is like crossing over to the other side!" Vadim smirked.

"Well, that's how your mother and I experienced it, we went there for twenty years. Only now we've managed to peek at life, just a little…," she responded, kissing him on the top of his head once again. "That's why we want everything to be done right for you. Normally! To be for love! And for your chosen ones to truly love you, not to practice on you like on a training dummy. We'll interrogate them so thoroughly they'll spill everything," she added, tapping her finger on the table threateningly.

"Well, there you go! Do you want us to bring them here, to your Golgotha, or something?" Vadim asked in surprise.

"No," she reassured him, with a carnivorous smile. "We'll bring them gently, motherly, with warm hands."

"Uh-huh!" Artem chimed in. "With your iron grip. You won't even notice how you'll twist both their necks."

"Maybe we will," she answered thoughtfully. "If there's a reason."

They burst into laughter.

"No way," Artem replied. "I won't even think about bringing her here until I decide I need to protect her from both of you."

"And that's right!" his mother suddenly responded. She grabbed Vadim's cheeks with one hand, gently rubbing them, and said, "We raised good men, your mother and I! The right kind!" She kissed him on the nose. "Now get up! Vadim! Your keys are hanging on the hook, you can go there if you want. But honestly, nothing's changed there this year. You won't find anything to do. It's better if you go with Artem to the shower upstairs, then come down in half an hour, I'll warm up lunch for you."

"What's for lunch?" Vadim asked.

"Your favorite: stuffed peppers, I made them specially yesterday."

"Oh no, more of that meat in packets," Artem whined.

"Well, Vadim will eat the packets, he loves the peppers themselves, and you've always liked the meat with rice, and the soup—your favorite gazpacho, in which they were cooked."

"See, it's always about pleasing Vadim!" Artem grumbled.

"Exactly! At least I can please him. No matter how hard I try, I'll never please for you!" his mother retorted.

The boys waddled up the narrow stairs to the second floor, and Artem quietly poked Vadim in the ribs. But for some reason, even this felt pleasant to Vadim right now.

***

Vadim woke up because someone kissed him warmly on the forehead. He was startled, thinking it was another prank from Artem. He quickly opened his eyes and saw his own mother, Nina, smiling at him.

"Mom," he clung to her and hugged her tightly around the neck.

"Hello, my dear. I kissed Artem too, but he didn't even wake up. He's sleeping like usual, you can't wake him up with a cannon. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. But that..." he asked cautiously, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction. "Where is he...?"

"What do you mean 'that'?" his mother asked sternly. "I'll give Tanya a piece of my mind for spilling everything to you too soon. She's always trying to make things easier for me, where it's needed and where it's not. He's at home, in his place. What's he doing here?" She softened her tone. "When I'm sure of something, I'll introduce you. Don't worry. I'm not looking for a father for you! I'm looking for one for myself. A good, smart, and reliable one. And… I think I've found him… I hope."

"Mom," Vadim asked sweetly.

"What?"

"Please don't be mad at Tanya… She did the right thing… I was so angry yesterday. We would've definitely fought," he said, feeling guilty.

His mother kissed his forehead. 

"Look at him," she said, admiring Artem. "He's sleeping like an angel, how beautiful he is, with his little plump lips, like a baby."

"See, see! We were talking about this yesterday. You never know who's the mom. It feels like you're his mom, and Tanya's mine." Vadim said, sounding a bit childish. "You only know how to scold me, and with him, it's always 'cuddles' and 'hugs.' Tanya's the same. She still wants to wipe my bottom, but she only barks at Artem!"

"Well, what did you expect?" his mother suddenly spoke seriously. "We raised you both, boys. You need not only a mother's care but also a strong hand. To hug and to smack when needed. How? Tanya couldn't even touch you with a finger, she's not your real mother, and you can't hurt other people's kids. But I can. I have the right."

Vadim's eyes widened as the realization hit him.

"And so it turns out," his mother continued, even more seriously, "that I'm like a father to you, and Tanya's your mom. And the opposite for Artem."

"Mom, yesterday, Tanya almost whipped me with a belt. For you." Vadim tattled.

"Tanya. What a smart girl!" his mother commented. "Well, you're not a child anymore. Now she has the right to smack your bottom! Oh, I feel like one day she's really going to let loose." She threatened lovingly. "After twenty years, she'll really let you have it!"

"Mam, Nin..." Artem mumbled, stretching sleepily. "I thought I was just dreaming your voice." He hugged her tightly and started rocking on her like a koala on a tree. "Mmm..." he murmured. "You smell like home. Have you been here long?"

His mother gave him a firm kiss on the cheek. 

"Yes, about half an hour ago," she replied. "Okay! Time to get up!" she commanded. "Today, we're eating at our place!"

"What?!" Vadim protested. "Are you going to stuff us with treats every day, one after another?"

"Of course," his mother said. "How else? You need to eat! Look," she pointed at his stomach, "your ribs are sticking out!"

"Those aren't ribs, those are muscles! These are called abs! See, six of them, all in place! Every good boy should have these!" He poked Artem in the stomach, and Artem burst into laughter like a popped balloon. "By the way, I do ab exercises three times a day to keep these abs. The girls like them!"

"Muscles..." his mother mocked. "To me, they look like ribs. But if the girls like them, that's good!" She grinned. "Alright, go shower and join us. Tanya and I will be waiting for you."

***

In the afternoon, the boys decided to run to the market to get some food for tomorrow.

"I'll see even one bruise," Tanya said seriously, handing them the bags and wallet, "and I'll whip both of you! I won't care who's right and who's wrong."

The boys were a bit taken aback by such a send-off.

"I have this feeling now that our mothers know about our lies about the hooligans," Vadim said to Artem, pulling on his shoes.

"Looks like it's time to stop this thing," Artem replied, disappointed that he would no longer be able to express his opinion to Vadim with his fists.

"So, what now? Are we supposed to not fight at all?" Vadim asked, confused. "It's forbidden there because we're alone and we have to take care of each other. But now we can't even here? Is there no place where we can fight?"

"Ridiculous," Artem agreed.

The road to the market was, as usual, ruined. Covered in slippery, muddy puddles. It was an entire quest just to walk down this road; the constant winding made the path twice as long. It felt as though the road had been destroyed during World War I and no one had bothered to repair it. Probably to prevent the enemy from passing through.

The market had been their favorite place as children. They'd walk in a little line behind one of their mothers, and all the elderly vendors would give them something—an apple here, a pomegranate there, a handful of nuts—and by the end of the trip, both boys would drag a bag full of treats tied up in a T-shirt gathered around their bellies. And in that bag were only the sweetest, most delicious gifts.

Of course, now they no longer expected such gifts, but each vendor still recognized them from their earliest childhood and greeted them with the warmth of a grandchild or son. However, now, instead of goodies, each one tried to offer them either a granddaughter or a daughter, but as a bride—no returns, no exchanges. Still, they were damn happy to be here.

After running around the entire market, they had stocked up on everything on the list, plus a couple of big bags of treats they hadn't indulged in for over a year.

Loaded up like a pair of donkeys, weighed down with bags, they stepped onto the road and began their way back. Of course, Artem slipped on the very first puddle, and fell so hard that he scraped his knee, bleeding, crashing down on it with all his weight and the weight of all the bags hanging from him.

For the rest of the journey, Vadim had to snake his way back, not only carrying his own bags but also Artem's bags, which hung from Artem himself, who was now perched on Vadim.

Vadim grunted and groaned the whole way, rolling his eyes, grumbling, and swearing at poor Artem. Strangely, Artem couldn't even enjoy the trip—his knee hurt too much.

When Tanya saw the pair, with Artem limping and his knee bleeding, she thoughtfully grabbed a bunch of willow branches hanging from a tree in their yard. As she approached the gates, she dipped them in a barrel of water, shaking them a few times so that the two troublemakers could clearly hear their characteristic sound.

In all twenty years of their lives, they had only heard about such a punishment, and it seemed like the moment had finally come for them to experience it on their own behinds.

"Mom! I crashed my knee on the road! I slipped in a puddle!" Artem started pleading with her, horror in his eyes.

"And I'm not going to whip you until your knee heals," his mother replied coldly.

"Mom! I'm telling you the truth!" he shouted, awkwardly spreading his arms to shield the innocent Vadim, who had been the one to carry him all the way home on his back.

Mom Nina walked out of the house with a determined stride, selecting a longer, sturdier branch and snapping it off with a quick motion. It wasn't an easy task—willow wasn't the easiest thing to break.

"Still making up stories about hooligans?" she asked, her tone matching Tanya's.

"No, really! I slipped myself, and he carried me the whole way home, along with the bags!" Artem protested, bracing himself for his first-ever dose of his mother's spanking, with both hands.

Vadim tried to hide behind Artem, but he knew it was pointless. With one swift motion, Tanya easily moved Artem aside so that he wouldn't be in the way and, fixing Vadim with a sharp gaze, asked:

"You slipped?"

Vadim clearly remembered her "x-ray" stare, which he'd only seen from her a couple of times in his life, and which sent shivers even to his heels.

"Yeah," he nodded, not thinking of lying to her.

"My sweet boy..." she suddenly cooed at Artem, wrapping him in a hug, dropping the willow switches, and continuing with a comforting tone. "My poor thing! Does it hurt? Let me blow on it."

The sudden shift in the mothers' mood left the boys completely stunned, lost in the situation.

"Mmm..." Artem mumbled in agreement, trying to figure out what he had just agreed to.

"Well, now Vadim will get a band-aid and clean up your wound," Mom Nina purred, gently patting him on the back.

"Why me, though?" Vadim protested, not quite sure what he had been assigned to do.

"You'll see what happens if I smack you on the neck with all five fingers!" Mom Nina snapped at him. "Can't you see? My hands are full with dough, and Tanya's got meat. Now, get the band-aid and go!"

Vadim suddenly realized what he was supposed to do and eagerly rushed into the house for the first aid kit.

"Take notes, student!" Tanya winked at Artem. "If you're gonna fall, make sure they write about you in the papers later!"

"I think it's really time to end this," Vadim quietly whispered to Artem, hinting at their usual fistfights.

"Shit, they definitely knew everything," Artem muttered fearfully.