Author's Notes: Due to the lack of SSB fanfiction, this happened. I'm sorry.
Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, slash, whatever you call it. Don't like, don't read.
Pairing(s): IkeMarth. Surely others, but I'd love ideas, and if you have a pet pairing, let me know!
Disclaimer: I don't own Super Smash Brothers.
Summary: Teaching assistants, hours at the coffeehouse, graduate programs, undergraduate tutoring, medical students... no one ever thought there was more to college than academics and work.
Mechanism
By SSBBSwords
His discussion section was on Friday, 8:00 am, followed by the course lecture at 9:00 am. Attendance was understandably poor. Nevertheless, he was always there, if not a little early.
Every Friday then, he stopped by the coffeehouse on campus before teaching. After all, most graduate students were teaching assistants. He just happened to TA for general chemistry.
When waiting for his order, he tended to watch the working undergraduate behind the counter. Tall, boyish, and disarmingly cheerful for a quarter past seven in the morning. The young man would fix his medium-sized tea in a cardboard sleeve and repeat with a smile, "Careful. It's hot."
He usually had time to spare and would review his lesson plan. And he always popped off the plastic lid once he was settled at the table, notes and textbook askew.
If another customer walked through the door, his eyes always flickered toward the movement, and sometimes, his eyes would lock with the working student's. But only now and then.
His routine never deviated on these days, so he was rather surprised when a figure dropped into the chair across from him.
"Marth. 'Morning." The blond yawned discreetly behind one hand. "Going to lab today?"
He blinked at his roommate (also a fellow graduate student in the same research lab). This was inexplicably early for such a late sleeper. "No, I have class. What's the occasion?"
Link smiled and rotated his cup of black coffee in his hands. "Haven't left campus yet. Been in there all night."
"Are you going home yet?" Marth asked, wincing due to complete empathy. He himself was not unfamiliar with the long experiments and late nights.
"Soon," the blond answered, taking a big gulp of coffee. "Once I'm alert enough to drive back."
Checking his watch, Marth began to straighten out his materials. "Good. I have to go to class."
"Hey," Link interjected suddenly, causing Marth to pause halfway out of his seat. "I think… we're out of food… right?"
Marth felt the corners of his mouth quirk upward. His roommate's eyes still looked hazy. Poor guy needed some serious REM cycles. "Yeah. I'll take care of it."
As his roommate packed up, Link realized he was out of coffee. Approaching the counter, he noticed the cashier's distracted eyes charting his roommate's departure.
When an undergraduate worked as long as he did, the university demanded a half hour break every four hours. Ike wasn't one to complain, so at around eleven, he dutifully took his break.
He was nursing a self-made cup of tea, mechanically taking a sip every minute. Ew. How people drank this was above him.
Geez. What an uneventful Friday. He hoped Roy would drop by soon. He needed to copy notes.
Resting his chin in his palm, he let his sight meander through the coffeehouse and out the tinted windows.
Sitting out in the patio among the scattered tables and chairs was the student who came in only on Friday mornings for tea. The one who looked somewhat delicate, so much that Ike always felt compelled to warn him about the drink's temperature.
"Hey, what's so interesting?" A hand waved before his eyes, and Roy grinned at his dumbfounded expression.
Ike focused on his friend, but found himself looking back outside sporadically. He was just trying to figure out what made the other student look so… nice? "Uh… nothing really."
"Just for you, I actually went to class," Roy joked, dropping into a chair beside him and pulling out the lecture supplement. "Least you could do is tell me what was holding your attention."
"It's…" He wasn't embarrassed. Just… hesitant to own up to his inexplicable interest for some random college student. "That guy. Always studying."
"Guy?" Roy followed his line of sight and tilted to get a better angle for appraisal. "You sure?"
"I make his drink every Friday morning—of course, I'm sure!" Ike retorted, inwardly triumphant that he had enough experience with the other student to know.
"Kind of hard to believe," the redhead mused, trying to discreetly get closer to get a better look, before suddenly pausing. "This isn't healthy, is it?"
Ike took a lukewarm swallow of tea. "What is?"
His friend sat back and laughed. "Being attracted to this guy."
Tea went down the wrong pipe. Ike indulged in a coughing fit. "What?" He rasped, throat raw, when he recovered. "I'm not… what?"
"Well, he's… kind of pretty," Roy pointed out, with a knowing smile in his direction. It was scary how his friend picked out those details almost immediately.
"So, uh…" Ike shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. About those notes…"
"Thanks for meeting with me." The small brunet set down his notebook. "This professor is just… agh."
Marth nodded slightly that implied a tacit understanding to what the young student was referring to. The professor for this class avoided all students (and would probably avoid the teaching assistants too, if not for job obligation).
"I'm sorry for the sudden email," the other continued, as if not having even uttered any frustration about the professor. "I'm Pit, one of the unfortunate tutors for this class."
When Pit's hand extended toward him, Marth met it midway for a handshake. "Marth. It's nice to meet you," the TA replied politely in return.
The tutor smiled brightly before letting go of his hand and taking a seat adjacent to him. "Again, sorry for emailing you when we haven't even met yet."
Marth waved off the apology. "It's fine." He began to dismantle the models of cyclohexane that he had made for the students that came to see him during office hours.
Pit smiled, looking a little mischievous for his innocent, too-good-of-a-student appearance. "You're too nice, letting your kids give out your information like that."
"Kids?" Marth echoed, amusement evident in his voice. "What year are you?"
"Second," was the brunette's nonchalant answer, although there was a hint of pride in his expression. "I hope you don't mind me using you shamelessly to answer my questions."
"Of course not. Go right ahead." Marth slightly smiled, and hoped he was successfully hiding the fact that the younger student's energy level was somewhat contagious. Somehow, Marth knew he couldn't pull off being that lively.
"Hey, did you know your kids went inside to do more chemistry?" Pit gestured at the coffeehouse's door, "That's some dedication."
"Really," Marth rhetorically questioned, glancing towards the building. "That's good…"
"That's cute," Pit suddenly laughed, flipping open his book. "Real cute."
"… What is?" The TA asked hesitantly, a wave of uncertainty washing over him.
Grinning like he had discovered a well-hidden secret, the young tutor unclipped his mechanical pencil that served as a bookmark. "Nothing."
Those eyes said something. Marth gave the other a disapproving stare. "What is it?"
"It's just…" Pit acquiesced too easily, "…you actually smiled when I mentioned your students."
Oh. He didn't know how to respond to that.
-Bread –Milk –Eggs –Pasta –Peanut butter…
Ike pulled the grocery list off the refrigerator. He had almost forgot it was his turn, but a note from his apartment-mate reminded him. He didn't see the guy around much, and truthfully, Ike didn't know what the senior was involved in (maybe graduate school applications?).
All in all, Sheik had a schedule that was incomprehensible to Ike (and a personality to match).
Twenty minutes later, at the back of the supermarket that felt ten degree colder, Ike stood before the display of dairy products with a frown. He could have sworn prices had increased. Damn inflation.
Through his peripheral view, he noticed a shopper on a cell phone carefully maneuvering a shopping cart with one hand.
"—I forgot. So what is it…?" the stranger was speaking in a very even tone, before a tinge of exasperation entered his voice. "Oh. 'The fat kind.' I see, and…"
The junior quickly glanced behind him toward the conversation (much more interesting than milk), and immediately tensed. Him. The one person who, for no obvious reason, managed to hold his interest. This situation just made everything all the weirder.
The shopping cart stopped beside him, and the other student looked up long enough for Ike to notice the slight widening of eyes. Perhaps it was due to recognition, but then:
"You want what?" The smaller man's eyes narrowed. "Link, that makes ten servings. I refuse. Go back to sleep."
When the other hung up, dread was creeping down Ike's spine. He didn't know what was so nerve-wracking about this, except that it was.
It wasn't until he noticed the other student reaching for a two-gallon pack of milk that his senses returned.
"Here, I got it." In one easy motion, Ike transferred the load to the shopping cart.
The young man's initial surprised expression melted into a well-mannered smile. "Thank you." Two seconds, a head tilt, and a thoughtful look later, the other student added, "Ike."
Although his heart oddly skipped a beat, he had to grin. That was some recollection skills. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
"You haven't changed yet." A graceful hand reached out to tap his nametag. "Anyway, have a good weekend."
Well, shit. He just hoped he wasn't turning red. Seconds after receiving a parting wave, Ike palmed himself in the head.
What the hell was that?
As Marth toed off his shoes, he noticed another familiar pair stacked neatly among the scattered shoe pile. The thousand-paged textbook on the living room table full of medical jargon only strengthened his suspicion.
"Marth?" A female figure appeared from the dark recess of his room.
"Hi, Zelda," he greeted, settling the groceries on the kitchen table and sorting through a dozen plastic bags. "It's been a while."
She ambled over to help. "You know how it is." Out of one bag, she pulled out some chicken and hefted the weight in her hands. "That's sweet. You got Link his ingredients."
Marth shrugged. "I like to keep him happy." He opened the refrigerator and began to restock the emptying shelves.
"… and that means catering to his cooking sprees," Zelda concluded with a fond smile, handing him the thawing meat.
"We sleep in the same room. He could kill me if he really wanted to," Marth explained with a deadpan expression.
The female medical student laughed. "Oh, Marth."
He hummed in response, and quickly finished his task of food straightening. Straightening from his bent position, he pushed his bangs away from his eyes. "So what are you up to?"
The brunette interlocked her fingers and stretched them above her head. "Using Link's computer."
"Anything interesting?" The graduate student cleared the table of plastic bags.
Shaking her head, Zelda settled onto the couch and tucked her legs beneath her. "Recipes. Mm, and instant messaging with Sheik." She paused and a contemplative look crossed her face.
"What's your brother doing now?" He asked curiously.
There was a delicate lift in her shoulders, before she softly sighed. "Waiting for graduation, I suppose."
Not knowing how to respond, Marth hesitantly replied with the first thought that came to mind. "That's… surprising."
"It's not, well, I'm sure he's planning something," Zelda reassured with a heavy dose of sisterly faith. "I haven't the clue though."
The concerned body language in his friend was unusual, and Marth gave the young woman's shoulder a light pat. "Just think—if he doesn't have any plans, you can baby him until he does."
Her lips curved upward. "You never cease to humor me, Marth." She then glanced forlornly toward the kitchen. "I would cook if I weren't so scared of Link's wrath when he wakes up."
"So you know how chemistry is killing me, right?'" Roy sounded somewhat out of breath, which wasn't out of the ordinary. His friend tended to call when walking back home to the dorms, and the redhead wasn't one to walk slowly.
"Uh huh," Ike absently agreed into the phone. He still found himself wincing when he thought back to his encounter in the supermarket. He thought his bed would help—it didn't.
"Yeah, so my tutor suggested that I should try studying with other people."
Ike closed his eyes and tried to listen more carefully to what Roy was saying. Distraction, that's what he needed. "Sounds practical."
"As if going to lecture, discussion, and tutoring isn't already overkill," Roy huffed indignantly. "Hey, you think that pretty boy would study with me?"
Ike shot up into a sitting position so fast that his head swam painfully. "W-what?" He rubbed his temples to try to alleviate some of the sudden pressure. "How do—"
"—I can recognize that damn chem book anywhere now." Somehow Roy didn't sound too pleased about his newfound abilities. "Besides, the molecular kit was a dead giveaway. My tutor carries that thing everywhere too."
Ike frowned to himself. Goddamnit. He was going to need professional help soon if he couldn't figure out why he was acting like this.
"Geez, you okay?" Roy asked apprehensively. "Distracted, much?"
The junior straightened from his defeated slouch. Wait, Roy was one of the most observant people that he was fortunate enough to be close friends with. His pride just needed to be thrown out of the window.
He swallowed, and tried to reverse the tightening in his throat. "Hey, you know how I was staring at that guy today?"
"No shit." Roy's pleasant reply in a crude manner was ignored.
"I think I do it a lot," He admitted, his eyes darting down to study the threads on his bedspread. "It's weird."
"That's okay. Just means he's attractive. What's weird?"
Roy had yet to understand the gravity of his symptoms. Ike gripped the phone a little tighter. "I couldn't think properly enough to talk to him at the supermarket today."
There was silence on the other line. For once, Roy didn't have a quick comeback.
"Wow, Ike." There was a (disturbing) hint of awe in the other's voice. "Shit."
Yeah. He thought so too.
Author's Notes: Feedback on characters, plot, and writing is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
