Here's another one of those Disney AU fanfics, but this one involves our hero/heroines in college. It's a cliché concept, but it's adorable, so why not? :)
I haven't developed the entire plotline, so suggestions are more than welcome!
DISCLAIMER: Disney is owned by—surprise!—Disney.
. . . . . .
"Belle!" the man behind the desk greeted the young woman who entered the university library. She had hazel eyes and brown hair, tied into a low ponytail.
"Good morning!" Belle said cheerfully. "I've come to return the book I borrowed."
"Finished already?"
Belle gave him the book, called The Color Purple. "I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?"
"Not since yesterday," the librarian said with a laugh.
"Hm, that's all right. I'll borrow…" Belle painstakingly lifted a book off a high shelf and headed to the librarian's desk.
"This one."
"That one? But you've read it twice!"
"It's my favorite," Belle mused. "I couldn't find the entire thing online and I can't find it in the bookshop either, so I have to borrow it every now and then."
"Well, if you like it all that much, it's yours."
Belle looked at him in shock. "But, sir…"
"I insist," he said, holding up his palm. Belle grinned.
"Oh… well, thank you. Thank you very much!"
"No big deal, Belle."
With another smile, Belle headed to the quietest part of the library to sit at one of the empty spaces. She had been reading for quite some time until she realized that someone had sat right in front of her. She relaxed as she recognized the face of her best friend.
"Hey, Mu."
"I thought you'd never notice me," Mulan said. "What're you reading?"
Belle sheepishly lifted the book for her to see.
"That again?"
"The librarian gave it to me already," Belle said. "It's awesome, Mu. You should give it a try."
Mulan looked at the cover. Brothers Grimm: The Complete Collection.
"Oh come on, Belle. I've read those. Not all of them, of course, but they're pretty brutal."
Belle raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're pretty brutal yourself."
The young Asian woman only laughed. "Guess you're right. Don't you have classes?"
"Nope."
"Lucky you," Mulan groaned. "I have to go back to school for history."
"I'll walk you, if that helps."
"Thanks." Mulan grinned in gratitude. "Anyway, I have to finish two chapters and write a paper."
She laid down a thick, hardbound textbook called World History, Vol. IV.
"I like history. It's not that bad," Belle shrugged.
"It is pretty interesting, but with that snotty Chi Fu as my Asian history teacher… ach." Mulan shook her head.
Belle laughed. "I hear you."
The two friends passed their time silently, Belle rereading her favorite tales and Mulan typing furiously on her laptop as she goes through the thick textbook.
. . . . . .
"Goddamn it," Esmeralda hissed as she stormed out of the classroom. She had gotten another F in her theology paper. This is bad, she thought. She should be graduating in a few months, but getting constant F's is no help at all.
"Esme!"
She turned around to see her best friend, Phoebus, catching up to her. She realized she left him inside the classroom.
"Sorry, Phoebs. I was a bit distracted."
"It's fine," Phoebus said. "You all right?"
She sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Just pressured, that's all."
"Well, it's just one subject."
"It counts, Phoebs."
Phoebus shrugged. "Can I read it?"
"Sure," Esmeralda said, handing it to him. They stopped walking for a while as Phoebus scanned her essay. It was about the "outsiders" and their role in society, and how such role affected their views about God. Her introduction consisted of a little story:
In the 1800s, a gypsy woman walked silently in the aisles of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, gazing in awe at the marvelous monuments of the Christian figures. The young woman knew nothing of the religion, but as she was already in the cathedral, she realized she wanted to utter a small prayer, despite her character.
"I don't know if You can hear me, or if You're even there—or if You would listen to a humble prayer, from a gypsy like me."
Why is someone like her talking to what they said to be an omnipotent being?
"Yes, I know I'm just an outcast," she admitted. "I shouldn't speak to You…"
But the longer she stared at the kind faces of the figures in church, the more her heart was filled, all at the same time, with sadness and hope. There was something in the Christ's face, though it was made of stone, that gave the girl some kind of determination.
"Still, I see Your face and wonder… were You once an outcast too?"
It then proceeded to a lengthy discussion about the study itself.
"Esme," he said, dazed, "this—this is beautifully written."
She raised her eyebrows and clicked her tongue.
"No, I mean it. I'm not gonna ask you to buy me a frappe or something. I really, really mean it."
"Thanks," she smiled as he gave her back the paper. "Frollo doesn't seem to think so."
"We all know the douche does not like anybody. Except himself."
"Yeah, but he seems to hate me more than anybody…" she frowned. "Maybe I should go see him sometime to ask why he never liked my work."
"Hm. Maybe."
"I mean, I write something straightforward and he gives me and F. So I write something creative… and he still gives me an F."
"Don't worry, Esme. You know him. Maybe you've written something he disagrees with."
"I guess," Esmeralda mumbled.
The pair entered the cafeteria and was greeted by a group of people, who were already seated in a table. Jasmine, Megara and John Smith have saved them two seats.
"Thanks for the initiative, guys," Esmeralda said, sitting beside Megara.
"We'd be accepting your gratitude," John said, "but Phoebus only texted us ahead."
Esmeralda rolled her eyes playfully. What's new?
"By the way, Jas, how was that guy Ariel set you up with?" Esmeralda asked.
Jasmine, who was the only sophomore in the group, made a face. "I wouldn't even have come, but Ariel told me to give him a chance, get to know him. So I went and I got to know him, all right. 'Cause he didn't stop talking about himself."
They laughed.
"But it was funny. It turned out Ariel didn't like him either."
"What was his name?"
"Gaston."
Megara's eyes went wide.
"You know him?" John asked, noticing her reaction.
"Is that the huge guy? Black-haired and self-absorbed?"
Jasmine grinned. "Yep."
"Then yeah, I know him. We had a… thing… once."
"Thing?" John smiled knowingly.
"No sex," Meg snapped. "I've got standards despite my bitchiness."
"Oh."
"Just kind of a real short fling. He's a terrible guy. Sexist and conceited."
"That's a great way to describe him," Jasmine agreed. "At some point, he said—and I quote—'I don't know why girls like you are in college. What's the point? You're just gonna stay at home and take care of kids.'"
Esmeralda gasped. "Oh, hell no!"
"Of all the people he could have said that to…" Phoebus laughed. "He chose Jasmine."
"Right?" Jasmine smirked. "But that is really sexist. I was pissed beyond belief."
"So what did you do to him?" Megara asked, stuffing her mouth with potato chips.
"I gave him a really, really dirty look."
Her friends snickered.
"Reminded me of that Asian history teacher," Esmeralda said. "I had him last year."
"The one Mulan always rants about?" Meg asked.
"Yup. He was pretty sexist."
"True," Meg said, "but he's a professor, at least. That guy somehow has intellect."
. . . . . .
Belle was at the school library again, reading another book (The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway). Her friend Lumiere had given it to her as a gift on her birthday last month. Belle hadn't had the time to read it, due to all the schoolwork and increasing pile of books on her desk. Today, she figured, would be the best time to start, since it was a Friday and she had enough time to finish it over the weekend. The Grimm Brothers book was for light reading, since they consisted of short stories, so she decided she would read that when schoolwork was too heavy.
Belle checked her phone for the time. 6:07 p.m. She had been waiting for Mulan for almost two hours now; not that she minded. She was more than happy to indulge a novel.
She also received a text from Mulan:
Mulan: on my way there. dinner?
Belle: Totally. Duke's?
Mulan: duke's sounds fantastic. i'll treat you :-)
Belle: You really don't have to!
Mulan:i will anyway.
Belle shook her head at her friend's stubbornness. But in many ways, stubbornness made Mulan, and most of the time it did everyone good. She was stubborn, but for the right reasons.
No more than a minute later, Mulan's figure appeared in the library glass door entrance. Belle stood up, stuffed the book in her purse, and said goodbye to the librarian.
Belle and Mulan walked out of the library building and onto the grassy school grounds.
"So how was Chin Poo?"
"His name is Chi Fu, but thanks for calling him Poo. Might call him Shit Poo from now on, too."
"Mu, I said Chin, not Shit. And I genuinely thought his name was Chin Poo."
"Well, Shit suits him better. And I genuinely think he's full of it."
Belle laughed.
"What'd he do this time?"
"I mean, you know I always had patience for the guy. I try to ignore him and keep my mouth shut, 'cause you know, he's still a professor and he still deserves respect."
"That's true."
"But awhile ago, we were discussing women in the Song dynasty, and I swear, I'm the only girl in class he knows and picks on. 'Ms. Fa, for example,' he said, 'is a pity. She's got duties at home, but she's lucky enough that her father sent her to school. If it were up to me, though, she'd better be learning off in the kitchen.'"
"Oh my God," Belle said in surprise. "That's a horrible thing to say."
"I don't even know why he won't drop it," Mulan sighed. "This is the 21st century, everyone's for gender equality—and rightfully so. I get it, he grew up in a patriarchal society, but that's no excuse. He ought to be more open-minded."
"It's still kind of you to try to understand him."
"Well, I do need a good grade."
Belle chuckled. "How'd the other students react?"
"I didn't laugh. They didn't laugh. No one found it funny."
"And good riddance."
"Uh-huh."
They walked out of the school gates and out in the streets. Duke's Café was a short walk from campus, and students usually hung out there during weekdays. Fridays, however, meant the café was empty. Most students opted to go to bars or clubs. Belle herself didn't bother—clubs were not her thing—while Mulan would sometimes go, usually with a large group of friends.
Belle was a scholar in school, and that wasn't surprising. She majors in literature and minors in journalism. She was already in her third year, and though as if only one degree was difficult enough, she managed everything perfectly. She wasn't a 'people person' due to that, but she was happy to have only a small group of friends. Mulan, of course, was one of them.
Mulan, on the otherhand, was no scholar. She was a junior, too, a regular student majoring in political science. Why she chose that degree was also a question to her, but she enjoyed it anyway. Her parents would have wanted her to get engineering or anything related to medicine but they know Mulan was almost hopeless when it comes to mathematics and science.
They finally reached Duke's and picked a seat by the glass window. Briefly they discussed what to eat and Belle half-raised her hand to call a waiter's attention, without looking up from the menu.
"Hey, y'all," said the waitress as she approached them.
"Oh, hi Tia!" Belle smiled at the chocolate-skinned woman. "I didn't know you worked the night shift."
"My coworker didn't show up so I had to fill in for her. Hopefully I get a day off tomorrow to catch up for school. I'm s'posed to be writing my dissertation."
Tiana was a senior taking up a degree in business administration and a scholar like Belle. They met a year ago when Tiana was part of the Student Government program. (She eventually had to let go of that, due to hectic schedules.) Belle needed to write an article about the Student Gov for the school paper and she had sat down with Tiana for a short interview. Afterwards, they went to the cafeteria for some banana bread and coffee, and that was when Tiana met Mulan.
"Well, don't you wanna sit down for a while or something?" Mulan offered. "I'm sure you could use a break."
Tiana smiled gratefully. "Oh, I sure could," she said, her voice thick in Southern accent. "Unfortunately, I'm a li'l bit busy now, but I'll make sure to find time this week to sit down with you guys."
"Of course," Belle said.
It was admirable how Tiana was taking up the degree—which is quite challenging in itself—while managing to be a scholar and, on top of it all, find time to work a part-time job in a café. ("God knows I needed the money," she had said.)
"Thanks, y'all. I'll try to set my schedule. What'cha having?"
"Uh, one big bowl of mac n' cheese, one order of Caesar salad, and two roast beef sandwiches," Belle said in between pauses. "And two cans of Coke."
"S'that all?"
"Yup. We'll get dessert later, of course."
"Mac n' cheese, Caesar salad, two roast beef sandwiches and two cans of Coke?"
"Yup!"
"Right. Comin' up!"
A few minutes later dinner was served, and Mulan thought it was a nice break from all the hustle and bustle of the bar. The place was quiet, filled only with little murmurs and laughter, and the food was delicious. Belle and Mulan talked about trivial things—school, professors, friends—and it was a nice break from everything.
When they finished the main course, they ordered two slices of cheesecake. They were surprised when Tiana gave them both a cup of coffee.
"We didn't order coffee," Belle said.
"I know," she winked at them before heading off. Belle and Mulan grinned at each other.
"Tia, you're an angel!" Mulan cried.
Tiana gave them her signature salute before entering the kitchen. Mulan sighed, taking a bite of the cheesecake.
"Tia's amazing."
"Yup, and I heard that she's a candidate of being a valedictorian," Belle said. "I just couldn't mention it to her 'cause it's only hearsay."
"Wow," Mulan said. "But I don't doubt it, and I'm not that surprised. I mean, the woman can do anything."
Mulan paid for the food, as she promised, and left a $5 bill on the table for Tiana. They waved goodbye before heading out.
"By the way," Mulan said once they were meters away from the café, "someone was totally checking you out awhile ago."
"Great."
"I'm serious, Belle. Long black hair in a ponytail, red shirt, looks like an alpha. But based on my intuition as a woman, a douchebag."
"Come on, Mu, that's pretty quick."
Mulan only shrugged. "I don't think he's your type anyway. I don't even know what's your type."
"Honestly, me neither," Belle laughed.
Minutes later, Mulan let out a sharp "Oh, crap!"
"Why?"
"I'm supposed to be planning our sem project with my groupmates online," Mulan rubbed her temples. "Wow, I thought I can finally get a good night's sleep after such a pleasant dinner."
They bounded up the stairs together.
"That's okay, Mu. Just reserve plenty of time for yourself tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, B!" She gave her friend a quick hug, and they headed to their respective rooms in opposite halls.
. . . . . .
A/N: I didn't give them last names. So only those who already have last names (John Smith, Mulan, etc.) will be given last names. I can't quite figure out what to call them!
These aren't all the characters. I decided to put others in the next chapter; otherwise this chapter will be too long. This is actually really long already, so apologies if you're bothered by that.
Also, I try to keep their characters a bit modernized. Apologies again if you'd rather stick to all-traditional. What I'm doing is twisting the characterizations, combining them with their traditional portrayal and adding my own spice (that is, modernizing).
Comments are appreciated! Thanks for reading.