Chapter Text
“...and the project draft will be due by next Monday with detailed annotations on which items were contributed by which partner. Please let me know by class tomorrow if you have been unable to find your own lab partner...”
Ygor sighed over his notes, planning to walk up to the professor at the end of class to be paired with anyone unmatched by the next day. He’d probably do the entire project himself anyway. The neanderthals in this class only paired up based on attractiveness and he’d heard enough about being “anti-social” and “a nerd” in high school to give up while he was ahead.
“Class dismissed.”
A shadow slipped over his notes as he finished scribbling the project due date. He turned slightly and jumped in shock to glimpse Victoria Frankenstein standing above him pointedly. Fixing his glasses that had slipped in his surprise, he immediately slipped out of his chair as if to let her pass. He hunched out of the way, not meeting her eyes. He glanced up slowly when she stayed in the same spot. From dark boots, to black skinny jeans, and continuing up past her side-buttoned top to finally scan up to her face, framed with braids and shifting from patiently amused to stormy irritation. He hesitated again, before addressing her.
“Hel-ahem, hello Ms. Frankenstein? Is there something you need?” He wrung his hands; an Ygor and a Frankenstein talking was sure to be the cause of gossip and he hated being noticed.
“You have a background in electrical engineering,” she stated.
Ygor hesitated, waiting for her to continue. She did not.
“If by background, you mean kicked out of the electrical engineering program, then yes,” he said defeatedly. Being called out for his failures hurt almost worse than name-calling, though weirdly felt more like home.
“This project requires an understanding of the subject.” She stated.
He waited again for an explanation she seemed to feel was obvious. He didn’t usually feel this stupid from pure silence. He raised his eyebrows around his glasses to prompt her further. She huffed, very pretentiously.
“I would like to be lab partners. Are you fine with this arrangement?”
Ygor didn’t move and just blinked. “How? That is, why would you want to partner with me?” Her politeness was wearing thin. “I mean, yes, I have the background, but how did you know that?”
“How did you know I’m a Frankenstein?”
He paused. “Good point.”
They stood there in awkward silence again.
Ygor took off his glasses, cleaned them absently and put them back on.
Victoria glared at him.
It suddenly dawned on him. He still hadn’t answered her question.
“Oh, yes, I mean, I am available to be your lab partner… but, I…”
“Good. I will meet you in the library. Fifth floor at seven.”
She left as suddenly as she had appeared. Ygor stood there vacantly for a moment. This felt simultaneously momentous and like just another class project. He shook his head free of the feeling and glanced around at the other classmates talking and pairing up. He noticed glares sent his way by a couple of students. Victoria was a genius and pretty; he was crossing a lot of social lines just talking to her. But she started it, he told himself. He hurriedly stuffed his books and notes into his bag haphazardly, dragging it off the table before scurrying off to his dorm.
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Might continue. Might not. See author's profile name before you get your hopes up.