birdwithoutasong | College AU meme [open]

College AU meme [open]

Pick one of my characters and I'll toss a college au scenario at you! I've got some rough descriptions below.

Alec: prickly as can be, likes to pick verbal fights with people stronger than him to show he's smarter, not really concerned with his own safety. Double major in mathematics and astronomy.
Annabel: cheery but socially awkward, prone to babbling. Kind of the mad scientist type. Major in biomedical engineering.
I-No: the bitchiest mean girl, she's loyal when she considers her loyalty earned but she's capricious and enjoys causing others pain. Major in business.
Ky: incredibly earnest, religious, repressed. Army ROTC participation and major in political science
Nyxnissa: practical and prone to arguing with people in a way to try to get them upset, although she doesn't really enjoy that, just can't help herself. Major in mechanical engineering.
Sol: grouchy, not very talkative, lazy but really smart. Major in physics.
Valentine: much more interested in drinking and partying than college classes, in fact pretends to be less smart than he is. Audacious and outrageous. Major in LGBT studies, as much to piss off his conservative father as anything else. Minor in business, because otherwise his father won't pay for college.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ky generally spends his time in the library as though it's a structured location, and if he needs a book for more than an hour he'll check it out, as long as it's not one of those that can't be. He figures that's better, because that way people won't waste time looking for things on the shelves that are in his possession. Plus, his roommate isn't around a lot, and that means their room is usually pretty quiet.

Even today hadn't been bad, and Ky has made a lot of progress on his paper. Which is part of why he's happy to answer the question. The other parts are that he'd like to get to know his roommate a little better and the neatest thing about college is that he's truly interested in the paper topic. So it's with a cheerful smile that he looks up from his handwritten notes and laptop keyboard.

"Pretty well. I know which overarching comparisons I want to draw between the American revolution and modern international politics. Which is hard, of course, because there are so many directions that could go."

"That's true. Something like that sounds like it has numerous possibilities." Venom's enamored with Ky's beaming smile as he really seems to be liking his subject matter. It deals with history, so Venom can definitely understand Ky's enthusiasm. His awkwardness soon kicks in as he realizes he's probably taking away from Ky's writing time. But he finally said something to his roommate, other than book-related stuff!

"How much more do you have to write?"

"A couple more pages, then I should do final edits. I have another week, though, so that should be fine." Clearly Thursday nights are for getting ahead on next week's assignments. Not that Ky could have waited until the last minute on a paper and had it turn out as well as it should. But that's a pretty good explanation of the fact that he doesn't really mind being interrupted. He's a focused person, to be certain, but he likes talking to people. And his roommate is almost as much of a mystery to him as he is to everyone else.

"How's your book?"

"That's not too bad at all, really." Venom should try to pace his papers instead of doing them as soon as they are assigned and turning them in after countless edits and adjustments. But then that would mean less leisurely reading time. Speaking of...

"It's all right. I decided to go with a conspiracy-centric thriller as opposed to my usual fare." Of course Venom doesn't talk about his usual stuff: fantasy novels pertaining to young magicians in an English setting.

Ky thinks that it's very important that he does well in his classes, so that had usually meant paving himself, so he spends as much time and attention on his schoolwork as it requires. It would be a waste of both his time and his professors, not to mention the army scholarship, for him to do any less than the best that he's capable of.

"Is it for one of your classes?" Ky understands the concept of reading things that aren't for a class, of course, but it might also be background reading, or Venom going above and beyond.

"Ah, no. I like to read, is all." Books have always been by his side, even as a child. They were practically his only friends growing up, offering an escape from reality whenever he wanted. Here, he uses them as rewards for getting his work done on time and satisfactory grades. The faster he gets done, the more reading time he has.

"What do you like to read?"

Were this conversation happening two months ago it would be entirely unremarkable, but as it is, Ky is being careful because he doesn't want to say the wrong thing and make Venom retreat into his silence again. Not that Ky thinks anything he would have to say would be particularly negative.

"History, of course." Those who don't are doomed to repeat it, and all that. "Religious study works. And, uh, poetry." Is Ky a little embarrassed about the last category? Possibly.

"A purveyor of non-fiction," Venom muses. "A sign of one who is hungry for knowledge. Admirable, indeed." History he can relate to as he likes reading about it as well, though religion he has little to no opinion. He pauses for a bit, thinking of what kind of poetry a guy like Ky would like. But he opts to save that tidbit for later.

"I prefer reading about the sciences when it comes to non-fiction. Mostly physics or space-related."

“Ah?” Ky can’t help feeling a little embarrassed about his roommate’s remark. “It’s just what I like,” he says, seeing nothing either admirable or note-worthy about that particular preference. Although he supposes it makes a little more sense once Venom gives his own answer. After all, perhaps he’d said admirable but what he had really meant was relatable.

“Do you do much stargazing?”

"Not as much as I'd like. The light pollution is higher than I'm used to." Venom rarely went outside except at night, mostly because he loved looking at the stars. They were his escape as a child, and it stuck with him. Here the campus has those irritating stadium lights that get in the way of his charting. But he doesn't dump that on Ky. At least not yet.

"How about you?"

“Not much by the way of gazing. But I am used to being able to see more than we do here.” Ky knows that much of the lighting put around campus at night is actually to make people feel safer, but he’d gotten so used to the darkness of country, of areas where there aren’t many people. There are still plenty of evidences of God’s presence here, but the stars give the same reassurance as anything constant.

“I miss them.” All the little, dimmer ones, the canvas of the sky.

"I do, as well." Venom hesitates for a while. He's wondering if he can trust Ky with a little more about his past. Opening up was never one of his strong points; he always feared being called names or being ignored. But Ky doesn't seem to be like that. Or he hopes not.

"When I was younger, I used to sneak outside after bedtime, just so I could spot all the constellations."

Kai isn’t going to make fun of Venom for that, isn’t the sort to make fun of much of anyone. There are better ways to interact with people, and certainly better ways to treat them.

“When did you learn the names?” he asked, because the alternative is to say something about himself, and it’s not that that’s hard to do (although it is) but because he’s curious.

Venom smiles, albeit slightly, at the question. "I was around six when I learned my first constellations. Orion was the very first, and then Taurus since it's in the vicinity. From there, I went on to learn the remaining Zodiac formations." He has a fascination with astrology, though he doesn't really believe in its predictions.

“They have very interesting stories, don’t they?” Ky asks. He doesn’t believe in astrology himself, but he can regard the explanations of star formations as historical curiosities as much as anything else. “One of the busses goes to an apartment complex far enough from the main campus you can actually see a fair number of stars,” he confesses. Ky likes to go there to think, and he also likes to go there because the fact that it’s not well lit means that those trying to get back to their apartments have been targeted or attacked, and his presence has helped, from time to time.

"They do," Venom quietly agrees. Mythology is definitely one of his weak spots when it comes to literature. "Is that so? Perhaps I'll have to take a trip with you to see the stars from the complex." It's a good excuse to actually get out of the dorm.

"If you'd like, that would be nice." Ky doesn't necessarily want for him to go on his own, given the area, but he's sure that they'll be fine the two of them and it would be neat to be able to share it with someone else.

"I'd like that," Venom admits quietly. Ky doesn't seem like a bad person, and he does want to see the stars again.

"May we go tonight?" His slight accent thickens with excitement.

Ky nods, because he has things to do, but he always has things to do and they're not things that need to happen tonight.

And he can't deny that he wants this opportunity to get to know his roommate a bit better.

Venom takes the nod as confirmation and puts his book back on their shared bookcase. He goes for his coat and shoes, ready to get some fresh air.

And about three minutes later, he's ready to go. He hasn't even given Ky the chance to do what he needs to prepare for the trip. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little over-excited."

Ky doesn't have to do very much, although he dithers over whether or not he should bring a book for a moment before he decides that if Venom isn't, then he shouldn't.

Then he's grabbing his coat, throwing it over his shoulders but ready to put it on when he has to. "It's fine. We can go now."

"Good." Venom actually smiles a little. And before Ky knows it, Venom is heading out the door. He shouldn't be so excited, but he is. He's always treasured every moment he spends outside at night. If he could, he'd move into the town's observatory.

He waits out in the hall for his roommate, doing his best to calm himself.

Ky proceeds at his own quick but not ridiculously so speed, and then he's taking over and trying to lead the way. After all, he knows what bus they should take and when they should get off, and he's the one familiar with the area they're going to.

Not that the stars will be hard to find.

Venom stays close to Ky as he follows the blonde every step of the way, from boarding the bus to hopping off at the proper stop. During their trip, he notices the stars getting a little brighter as the light pollution fades away. A very slight smile graces his lips.

Once the bus pulls away, he turns to his roommate. "So where is this complex?"

"Just this way," Ky says, and it's dark but not trip-over-their-own-feet dark, not out on the street and they'll have the chance to let their eyes adjust.

But Ky's fingers find Venom's wrist all the same, maybe jut to make sure they stay together.

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