REALISTIC COLLEGE AU MEME, 2K17

[dinosaured]

I. living conditions

01. my roommate’s boyfriend is staying over so can I please sleep on your floor
02. all our friends are drunk
03. we live in halls opposite one another and i keep seeing you change in the window please close your blinds
04. you’re the RA and you’re trying to bust me for having hermit crabs
05. you’re baking cookies in the communal kitchen at 3am and I’m angry but also really hungry
06. clearly we’re both really uncomfortable at this party
07. you peed on my car. you were drunk. I was in the car. there will be hell to pay.
08. my friend dragged me to this party and I just saw my ex quick make out with me
09. sorry my roommate puked on your shoes
10. my roommate borrowed your contraband hotpot and managed to set it on fire

II. chance meeting

01. it’s pouring and my final paper is in my backpack so I guess we’re stuck under this tiny awning together. do you think they’d deliver pizza here
02. waiting outside for pizza to be delivered but both of ours is super late
03. I know I keep coming to this [cookie/coffee/etc.] shop and for some reason it’s always your shift but don’t you dare judge me I need this for my sanity
04. I found your USB drive still in the computer (and potentially regret finding out what's on it)
05. you decked me in the head while you were playing frisbee golf
06. your school mailbox is right next to mine
07. what do you mean we’re under a tornado warning?

III. campus community

01. I’m really passionate about this cause and I will give you this flier if I have to shove it down your throat
02. it’s 3 am and I’m still in the library studying for finals and I’m losing my grip on reality and I think I just saw a ghost
03. we’re the only two people in this club. what is this club even for
04. humans vs zombies, all bets are off, friendships mean nothing
05. I thought I was the only one who liked the waffle station in the cafeteria
06. we’re studying in the library and there are two people very obviously fucking in the stacks and we keep sharing embarrassed glances
07. what are you doing at this table at the career fair
08. I saw you sneaking captain crunch and cutlery out of the dining hall
09. my computer crashed and you’re the student worker at the IT center
10. we’re both on athletic teams that aren’t as cool as the football team and they give us shit
11. you’re part of the guerrilla theater club on campus and crashed my class for a performance

IV. credit hour woes

01. hey I have to [photograph/draw blood/film/insert major here] someone for class, will you be my guinea pig
02. we’re the only people who ever talk in discussions it’s awful
03. group project
04. both of us turned up to the wrong room for this lecture and neither of us know where it's supposed to be
05. we’re both donating blood in the blood donation van in the quad to get out of the same class
06. wait, I actually have a competent lab partner?
07. waiting for office hours
08. we started racing up the three flights of stairs to class for some reason and we can’t stop
09. vicious battle over the only left handed desk in the room

V. limited resources

01. you keep using my preferred shower stall in the floor bathrooms when I’m trying to get ready for class
02. you keep parking in the space outside my student house you absolute asshole
03. you're the only person in the room when i break the printer and i'm panicking (so don't be a dick about it please)
04. neither of us bought the expensive textbook but there is only one copy in the library and it can’t leave the building
05. this awesome professor only has one TA slot and we’re rivals
06. you keep reserving the good study room in the corner of the library with the windows
07. I’ve been sitting in this seat all semester why did you decide to sit in it today
08. you’re REALLY GOOD at using the right search terms for the academic databases and I’m on a deadline
09. we’re always at the fitness center at the same time and end up competing on the treadmill
10. can I borrow a dryer sheet? I ran out and the ones in the vending machine give me a rash

MUSELIST

Comments

[punshots]

[ They're both relieved when the doctor enters, Prompto grateful to have something like a face wound to distract him from the way he can still feel the lingering warmth of her fingers on his cheek. This is a really bad time to...be going through this. Especially as the doctor checks his vitals and remarks on Prompto's unusually high heartrate.

He chalks it up to nerves.

But it's not a long visit. The doctor swabs at Prompto's cut to disinfect it and gives it a simple bandage to heal, but it's not so bad as to need stitches, fortunately. There's also no sign of a concussion, shockingly enough, and satisfied with the state of him, the doctor sets them free.

He's uncharacteristically quiet as they start towards the exit. It's pretty late now, and he feels bad this is how she ended up spending her evening, but...

Hopefully she can still look him in the eye after this.

Finally, he speaks up, glancing at her cursorily and knitting his hands together. ]

Hey, uh...I...thanks. For sticking with me. I've always been a little jumpy around doctors.

[ Sure, that's all it was! ]

[adelphoi]

[ for as awkward as it is to be third-wheeling it here in the doctors' office (especially once it comes out that she was the one who.. inflicted this particular injury, whoops), it still helps to break the flustered loop they'd gotten themselves caught up in. alisaie is still delightfully nervous by the time they leave, her ears still warm, but at least she doesn't feel as if she's going to explode out of her skin anymore.

though she might soon enough. it never ends.. ]

Of course.

[ with both hands she pushes the door open and the cool evening air feels so good on her skin, blushing for a year isn't great for your body temp. ]

It's the least I could do.

[ and now they reach the awkward moment.. the goodbye that has to come. it's getting late, and alisaie has reading to catch up on, papers to revise, a hundred nerdy tasks to get to. still she hesitates though, and bites her lip, shifting her weight for a moment before finally summoning the courage to pull a red sharpie from the front pouch of her bag. ]

Here -

[ before she can chicken out, she snags prompto's left hand and holds it between them to quickly write her phone number onto his palm in a neat little script. ]

In case you want to.. um. The - the camping..

[ kill her ]

1/3

[punshots]

[ He's about to thank her yet again, to reassure her it was no big deal, when his tongue stops dead in his mouth, because Alisaie is reaching out to take his hand. Reaching out to take his hand, and writing into it.

The felt tip of the marker tickles his palm, and he can do nothing but stare at her hand as it quickly scribbles, and then drops away, leaving a fresh set of digits behind. And for a moment, he's too nonplussed to comprehend at all.

It's for the camping. ]

2/3

[punshots]

[ Oh my god.

She's giving him her number. Because she wants him to call her, presumably, to go camping.

This, at least, is what he's been able to glean from the exchange, which feels like an out-of-body experience and he's still just staring at those tiny red numbers in his palm. ]

3/3

[punshots]

[ Slowly and then all at once, a full grin curls up on his lips, an incredulous, breathless laugh escaping his lips. Oh my god, she gave him her number. He has the number of this extremely cute, extremely smart, extremely witty girl, and he feels wholly unworthy of it. But all the same he has it, and as he starts to stumble backwards, he curls his fist and lifts it to his chest.

BE STILL, HIS LITTLE TWITTERPATED HEART. ]

Right - right! I'll - I'll just - call you, then! About! That! [ A beat. ] Soon!

[ Hopefully that is sufficient, because he's dissolving into pleasant laughter once again. ]

[adelphoi]

[ for a moment she's sure she's Screwed Up. it's not as if alisaie has ever done this before. she's never gone on a date, never given anyone her phone number for the explicit reason of seeing them soon in a way she hopes is not entirely platonic. she's never even really. had a crush before. this is all horribly new, petrifying and embarrassing and god she's going to die right here, on the spot, rip, tell her family she loves them.

but then he's - he's smiling, smiling in that way that makes her heart flutter and her cheeks warm, all bright and warm and sunny, like he's lighting up the space around him. god why is he so cute.......

despite his positive reaction alisaie still looks away, too shy to look into his face. this girl, who will openly question her professors in front of the class, who will rebel against her parents, who will tell off anyone who dares harm the people she cares for. now she's shy. about a boy. this is the end.

she's smiling though, even if she can't meet his eye, her heart pounding against her ribs. ]

A-all right. Good.

[ she's smooth as heck. ]

I should.. get going, then. Reading. I've got reading to do.

[punshots]

[ It's something of a blessing that she can't meet his eyes, because he'd be completely unable to meet hers. Instead, this leaves him able to catch that smile on her lips, and it's really something else, isn't it? He - he shouldn't read too much into it. He really shouldn't. She's probably just...excited to go camping.

But even still, he keeps laughing like a fool as he raises a hand and waves to her. It's funny...the last thing he wants to do now is say goodbye to her, but doing so also brings such an unusual, exhilarating promise with it. That once he does so...

He can use this number on his hand to call her. ]

Yeah! No doubt. Uh - homework, am I right? [ Let them both die, tbh. ] Hey - take care! Uh - stay away from any more hockey pucks!

[ A pair of smooth criminals right here. ]

I'll see you soon!

[ But that part sounds far more sincere, and with that, he takes his leave. ]

[adelphoi]

Right. Goodnight, Prompto.

[ it isn't until he's actually turned his back that she's able to look up again, her eyes flitting toward his retreating figure, her heart still skipping against her ribs, light and airy and full. for the moment, she's not even worrying that he might not call, she's busy being in awe of herself for actually doing it. and also, you know, disgusted with herself for being disgusting about it. they suffer.

almost dazed, she watches him for a good ten seconds or so, pulling nervously at her own fingers before at last she turns away. if there's a lightness in her step as she walks quickly back to her dormitory she's absolutely ignoring it, and it isn't until she's safely behind closed doors that her heart begins to settle down to its rightful place.

time to not get some reading done, i guess. ]

[punshots]

[ She's not the only one with a spring in her step; Prompto veritably skips back to his dorm, not even pretending to do any homework, instead accosting his roommates as soon as he's through the door to regale them with the tale of his eventful evening. After a lengthy chat, some pronounced swooning, and questionable advice, Prompto settles on calling her the next morning.

Which he does, miraculously, and seeing as how they've made it out to the woods to camp is a testament to the fact that it couldn't have gone too badly. He's still one hundred percent out of his element here, but it's...not too bad, with her. As long as he doesn't think too much about how they're out in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilization and indoor plumbing, and thinks more about how he's out in the middle of nowhere with Alisaie, he's managing to have a pretty good time, actually.

Even if he's on his own right now, trying (keyword: trying) to start a fire because Alisaie went off to hunt. There's something pretty hot, admittedly, about her going off in the woods to catch an animal for dinner, but he still didn't want to see it. He'd probably just scare of the game or start crying while she traps a rabbit, and nobody needs that. Especially him. The idea is to not come off like a total dweeb.

How he hasn't so far is beyond him, but he really wants this to go well. It's sure a different experience from taking a girl out for a movie and popcorn - not that...he'd really know that, either - but Alisaie isn't like any other girl he's liked before. She's different in all the best ways, and...

Well. He's already decided he wants to see her again. Hopefully by the time this is over, she won't be so annoyed with him that she'll disagree.

He's waiting back at the campsite for her, nursing a tiny, smoking flame in the fire pit. ]

Yes, it lives! ...Kinda.

[ The fire leaves something to be desired. ]

[adelphoi]

[ it's all been a bit of a.. blur. or a rush, really. somehow she had not expected him to call at all, she'd been so clumsy with her pitiful advances, he was probably just.. too nice to tell her he wasn't interested. something like that. but he did call her, and she'd very nearly dropped her phone in her haste to answer it.

but they'd managed to fumble their way through planning this thing, and now here they are, and she could not be more thrilled. quietly. at least hiking their way to the site and setting up camp had kept them busy enough that she's only blushed maybe three times total, which is pretty good, considering their last encounter.

she's off on her own for now though, to check the snares she'd set earlier and hopefully bring them back some dinner, prompto left behind to tend the fire which is good, because she's sure he'd probably cry watching her kill a rabbit. that is, if there are any to kill at all, traps are generally hit or miss, but they're deep enough into the wilds, and it's the right time of the evening for them to be about, so she's pleased but unsurprised to find three fat bunbuns waiting for her, ready for the slaughter. alisaie makes quick work of snapping their necks and lashing their hind legs together before she's carrying them back to the campsite, triumphant.

to find that prompto has - uh. well. he's done acceptably, she supposes, though she can't help the smile that curls at the edges of her mouth. well prompto, you tried. ]

Add a bit more kindling.

[ she says, from behind him, dropping the rabbits at her feet to fetch the rack and a cast iron pot. ]

Go slowly, use the smaller twigs and branches first until it's a bit bigger, then you can toss on a log.

[punshots]

[ An attempt was made. But hey, at least he got something going! He grins up at her as she returns - and immediately blanches as she drops the rabbits at her feet. Well, he knew this was coming...and he'll be happily eating their little roasted bodies once they're all cooked up.

That still doesn't mean he wants to look into their dead eyes, though! ]

Iiiiii see your hunting was successful!

[ He's glad, really! Don't misinterpret the strain in his voice.

Prompto busies himself with adding more twigs to the tiny fire, letting it flare up a bit. ]

Man, you really weren't kidding, though! You really know your stuff, Alisaie.

[adelphoi]

[ she certainly doesn't miss that look. yeah, it was a good idea leaving him behind.. what a sweet, soft boy. maybe this trip will harden him up a bit.

probably not, but she can hope.

his proclamation has her flushing warm again (that didn't take long), and alisaie glances briefly toward her feet for a moment, trying and failing to suppress a smile. ]

It's.. experience, that's all. I've spent a lot of time out here, learning to do these things. You could easily pick it up on your own.

[ she has faith that air hockey isn't your only talent, prompto. while she works on the fire, alisaie sits on one of the logs that surround it, dragging the rabbits toward her and pulling a small, sharp knife from her pocket, the cast iron pot at her feet. ]

You said you've been hunting before, right?

[ or that he's at least shot a gun..... ]

[punshots]

[ Ah, there's the knife! He's just going to...stare at the fire. Or stare at her over the fire, so he doesn't have to see her hands making quick work of Mr. Fluffybuns and his family (may they rest in peace).

As he speaks, he continues to add wood to the fire, so it continues to build. Not a moment too soon, either - it's starting to get a bit chilly. ]

Well - sure. But, uh, my buddies do more of the actual hunting than I do. I'm just there to occasionally shoot things and look pretty.

[ Two more of his talents, on top of air hockey. ]

[adelphoi]

[ look away prompto, this is a messy process.. but alisaie works quickly. the sun is waning and she can feel the first nibbles of hunger gnawing at her belly; the faster the fluffybuns family is dressed and butchered, the better. alisaie's smile twists. ]

I see.

[ casually degloving these rabbits of their skin, one by one.. lopping off the heads and feets.. now at least you don't have to look at their dead eyes anymore?? ]

Still, that means you have the raw talent. I am good with traps and passable with a bow, but I've never learned how to shoot a gun.

[ wanna teach her... ]

[punshots]

[ That's something?! He keeps his focus on the fire, anyway, as it slowly grows big enough for a log to be added. Look at that! He managed something outdoorsy. He's on a roll. ]

Really? I could show you. [ And then it's his turn to flush. ] I mean, i-if you wanted me to.

[adelphoi]

[ no prompto don't blush, it's like a plague it's contagious ugh look she's caught it already, her ears are going pink. she'll look pointedly away and busy herself with the chopping, hacking off limbs to set them on the rack. at this point it looks pretty much like grocery store chicken so he can probably stomach it. well. except for the fact that she's scooping out the guts next.. gross. for a moment she contemplates keeping the edible organs, but you know, that's probably too advanced for him right now, so all of the slop goes into the pot instead. ]

That's - I'd like that, yes.

[ she's got great aim, almost like she has elf eyes or something. ]

[punshots]

[ Yes, hard pass on the edible organs. He might have no problem eating meat but he'd draw the line on bunny hearts, thanks.

Now that the fire is built, Prompto settles back onto a log (because of course there's a log) to sit on. ]

Really? You - would?

[ He shouldn't be all that surprised, considering she'd agreed to go camping with him, but still. It sounds ideal to him. She's pretty small, it'd be easy to put his arms around her and show her how to hold - umm, never mind!! ]

Ah - do you need any help with...that?

[ He's still blushing. ]

[adelphoi]

[ bunny hearts are so good for you, prompto!! ]

No, I've got it.

[ he can't even watch her skin the bunbuns, she's not about to ask him to handle guts. his wee soft sensibilities aren't ready for it. besides, he might pass out, or throw up, or both, and that would be super embarrassing and also inconvenient. let's avoid that.. ]

There are carrots and onions in the cooler, if you'd like to cut them up.

[ a job she's pretty sure he can handle.. for now, alisaie tosses the heads and footies and odds and ends all into the pot, then stands and lifts it with her, stepping away from the fire and back toward the path she'd come from. ]

I won't be long.

[ she's definitely not gonna think about his arms around her teaching her to shoot a gun while she's going.. shutup don't look at her. ]

[punshots]

O-o-okay! You got it. Um - and be careful!

[ It's getting kind of dark! Don't get lost, please...search and rescue is not how he wants this date to go!!

But while she's gone and he starts cutting up the carrots and onions, he starts thinking about how he does want this date to go. He'd spent so much time anxiously waiting for the day to arrive that he hadn't spent much time thinking about what would happen once they actually got here. But here they are, camp set up and preparing dinner, and...

Well? They'll eat dinner, presumably, and talk, get to know each other better, maybe roast some marshmallows and look at the stars. Maybe they can sit next to each other by the fire, and maybe even...hold hands...

The thought alone has his heart hammering in his chest, and nearly has the knife he's using to cut the veggies slicing through his thumb. NO, NO MORE INJURIES AROUND HER, he's had enough of that. ]

[adelphoi]

[ don't cut your finger off while she's gone prompto??

she's also not gone particularly long. just long enough to dump the gross stuff far enough away from camp, then rinse both her hands and the pot in the fresh nearby stream. after that, she fills it up with water and oof it's heavy - she's ambling by the time she returns, some water sloshing onto her shoes, and with a puff of effort she sets it down. ]

All finished?

[ she's getting to work quickly anyway, first rinsing the prepared meat with water because they don't want any bunny hairs or grass in their dinner, then all of it goes into a skillet with some salt, pepper and oil. the rack goes over the fire, the skillet onto the rack, and the pot of water beside it. cooking is hard work.. ]

[punshots]

[ He didn't!!! Give him some credit. He's not that accident prone...

...Most of the time.

When she returns, he's wiping at the corner of his eyes - it's the onions, okay! - but he has a tray of nicely cut veggies in front of him, so he grins up at her through the tears. ]

You bet! Just look at these finely diced bits here. Did I deliver, or did I deliver?

[ Look, he's proud of himself. And also throwing the vegetables into the skillet. THERE ARE SO MANY MOVING PARTS TO THIS...good thing she only made him responsible for one small thing. ]

How'd you learn all this, anyway?

[adelphoi]

[ an hour into their date and he's already crying, things are going so well.

though.. is it a date?? she doesn't know. it.. it isn't, right? it's not as if she'd suggested that it be, they're.. two new friends enjoying a weekend together.

god, she hopes it's a date. ]

Ah, mostly practice..

[ she looks a little abashed, but proud nonetheless, carefully tossing the meat and vegetables in the skillet until they begin to sizzle nicely. ]

If you want the honest answer.. well, I have a twin brother, and he is terribly, maddeningly good at nearly everything he does. He's never been particularly outdoorsy though, so I seized the chance to excel at something he failed at very young, if only for the express purpose of rubbing his face in it.

[ she's a nice sister.. ]

[punshots]

[ He chuckles, watching her as she works, fingertips bouncing together in his lap like he's not sure what to do with them now. It's so easy to lose himself in watching her that he doesn't respond for a moment, but then he realizes she probably thinks he's being a creep and straightens up again, staring off at some...point in the distance. ]

O-oh, yeah? Sibling rivalry? [ He STARES INTO THE FIRE. This is probably a tactic Gladio recommended, tbh. ]

I didn't know you had a twin. What's that like?

[adelphoi]

[ .. stare into the fire and ignore the girl?? ice her out, is that it? don't try to play hard to get prompto it won't work for you bud. ]

It's.. well, I don't have any other siblings, so it's the only thing I've ever known, but -

[ she smiles wryly and shakes her head, sighing heavily. ]

I love him dearly, but the comparisons get very tiring. Since we were very young we were always expected to.. compete, I suppose. To challenge one another.

[ and in nearly everything alphinaud is a hair ahead of her, easily dismissed by anyone else of course, but a perpetual thorn in alisaie's side. it doesn't help that he can be a bit of a smug little shit sometimes. ]

And he's incredibly smart and talented, so sometimes it feels exhausting to try to keep up with him.

[punshots]

[ His staring into the fire tactic isn't going to last long anyway, because as she talks more about her brother and their competitive nature he looks up again, head tilted, listening intently. It's a world he's never known, being an only child. It's hard to imagine that kind of relationship, but it's not just that that has him puzzled. ]

What do you mean? [ His brow is furrowed, and he leans forward, elbows on his knees. ] You're the one who's so incredibly smart and talented, and funny, and cool, and pret... [ He catches himself too late, but he can't not finish now. ] ...ty.

[ NEVER MIND, TIME TO STARE AT THE FIRE AGAIN. Maybe that will hide how red his face has gone. Maybe. ]

A-anyway, I'm just saying - I bet he feels like he has a hard time keeping up with you!

[ He says this all very much in a rush. ]