Theme 22: Online
Due to the nature of this theme, chapter 22 will be a college AU set in the present day.
Snow covered the skylight of the Student Center, refusing to let the sun to leak into the large, usually colorful building. Tucked away in the corner of the Exalt Café sat two best-friends-turned-roommates, Lissa and Maribelle. It was the girls' tradition to meet at the café after their Monday classes and chat over tea and sweets.
"... and the professor interrupted and told him off in the middle of his presentation. I can't say I remember her words verbatim, but she accused him of plagiarizing directly from the textbook. I wish you could have seen it firsthand," Maribelle finished her story, taking a quick sip from her cup of Lapsang tea.
Lissa snorted, covering her mouth with both hands to keep any muffin crumbs from escaping. Not even bothering to swallow, she started, "Holy hell, this guy seems like a total meathead. How can you copy from the book and not expect to be called out?"
"You might think. We've been told not to plagiarize since seventh or eighth grade, but believe me whenI say I wouldn't be surprised if he skipped a grade or five," Lissa let out another loud giggle, and Maribelle thanked Naga that she didn't take another bite of her muffin. "He's on the football team, so my best guess is that he has a scholarship."
"He's probably gotta have a full ride if he's that dumb," Lissa commented, returning to her muffin. She tore a piece off the top, one with a large chocolate chip sticking out of it, and popped it into her mouth. "So did he actually plagiarize? Miss Perfect Student must have read the entire textbook three times by now, huh?" She teased with a smirk, reaching for her own cup.
Maribelle's eyes fluttered downward for a second, but that was one second too long. Lissa caught on immediately, her sly expression turning into a mix of surprise and giddiness.
"No way! You're trying to tell me that you didn't do your homework?" The teasing onslaught continued as Lissa nearly jumped out of her chair, unrelenting in her attack. "That's so unlike you! I almost don't believe it."
"Well…" Maribelle started, curling a strand of hair around her finger. "My focus was on other classes. I've already finished my presentation, mind you," The taller blonde pointed a finger at her friend, shutting down any potential rebuttal; "My speech in Public Speaking has taken up most of my time as of late."
Lissa slumped in her chair at the mention of her most hated class. "Ugh, don't remind me about it… I haven't even started." She reached for her muffin as her phone screen lit up with an incoming text. After a small bite she picked up her phone and unlocked it, a smile quickly spreading across her lips as Lissa noticed who sent the message.
Robin: Your brother will be the death of me, he needs an intervention
She giggled at her boyfriend's message and typed a quick response, but before she could send it another message popped up on her screen; A picture of Lissa's aforementioned brother, sprawled out on a tiny-looking couch dressed only in his boxers, dead asleep. A blanket was tossed haphazardly across the sleeping man's lap and several empty bottles sat on a nearby coffee table. Lissa recognized the scene as the living room of the apartment that her boyfriend and brother shared.
R: He was like this when I left for my classes at eight in the morning
The smaller blonde snickered, turning her phone screen around to show her friend. "Lookit this idiot. You gotta come with me to set him straight, Belle."
The sight of the barely-clothed man caused Maribelle's cheeks to turn pink, and she averted her eyes almost immediately. "Lissa, you devil! I don't want to see your naked brother!" Trying her hardest to keep her voice down, the flustered girl pushed the phone away from her.
"Aw, don't be like that. I know you've got a crush on him," Lissa teased, rewriting her earlier response.
L: i know hes supposed to have two classes today before noon
L: i give you full permission to kick his ass
Lissa looked up from the screen as the taller blonde stood from her chair, slinging her purse over her shoulder and extending the handle of her wheeled backpack to its full length.
"Take care dear, I'm off to the tech building. I'll be back at the dorm before we go to the gym later," Maribelle waved over her shoulder as she left the café, the sound of her heels and backpack wheels on the linoleum tile trailing off into the distance.
Lissa offered a parting wave of her own and decided to stay a little longer in the Student Center to plan the rest of her day and exchange more texts with Robin. Mondays were one of the few days of the week which the pair didn't see each other in person, but they still texted or video called. She set her phone down on the table and unwrapped the last portion of her muffin from its wrapper as another text flashed on the screen.
R: I want you to guess who was here on a SUNDAY night drinking with him
L: hmmm
L: vaike is like the free space on a bingo card
L: so im gonna go with gaius
Robin began typing, indicated by a speech bubble on the messaging app, when Lissa stood, finishing the last sip of her tea while balling up the muffin wrapper in her other hand. She hefted her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed her phone off the table, seeing that two new texts were waiting for her.
R: We have a winner! They were both here with Stahl and Sully but only those three idiots drank
R: Whats up for the rest of the day? If youre not coming over to yell at chrom im down to play league of giants
She started towards the exit of the student center, zipping up her heavy winter coat before typing out a reply.
L: sounds good with me
L: im heading back to the dorm right now, ive got a few hours free
Slipping her phone into her jacket pocket, Lissa was suddenly aware of the smile she currently wore, the one that always seemed to show up when talking to her boyfriend. Even if he was currently just some words on a screen sent over the internet, she loved him. And she knew she was loved in return.
A/N:
Hey people, long time no see. I remember how optimistic I was about writing a chapter a day. It's been almost three years since the last one. Ha.
I do still love this game and this pairing, however my motivation to finish an entire 100 theme challenge has been all but killed. It was pretty foolish of me to think I could do this. If I do come back with more chapters, I'll most likely be picking which themes I want to write about out of order.
If you want to see more of my work, check me out on AO3. I have a M!Robin x Maribelle lemon on the way that I can't post here.
As always I would love to hear feedback for this chapter and suggestions for future ones. Thank you!