Snippets: AGally/Prusty college AU (600 words, Teen)

[rsadelle]

Prusty teaches some sort of intro to comparative lit class that undergrads take to fulfill their general ed requirements, and Alex is not in his class. (I thought about that, but I wouldn't really want to deal with the ethics of it. Later, when they're hooking up regularly, Brandon emphatically tells Alex he cannot take any of Brandon's classes.) Alex is an undergrad (engineering? computer science? probably something not humanities) and possibly in a frat. Brandon lives with P.K., who is already up and cheerful when Alex stumbles out of Brandon's room, and who greets Alex with a cheerful, "Chucky!" and a fist bump.

*

Brandon stabs at his phone, trying to make it shut up. He groans at the way his head feels. Why did he let P.K. talk him into going out the night before the first day of classes?

"Too loud," someone else says.

There's the curve of a cheek and some fluffed out hair sticking out from under the blankets.

Brandon tugs the blankets down. "Kid-"

"Alex."

Right, Brandon remembers that from last night. He's also remembering how much he liked Alex now that he can see his face again.

"Alex, you're just as pretty this morning as you were last night, and if I didn't have to get to class, you could stay, but I need to be out of here in half an hour, so you have to get out."

Alex picks his head up enough to look down at Brandon's phone. "What kind of idiot signs up for eight am classes?"

"I didn't sign up for it," Brandon says. "I'm teaching it."

Alex groans and sits up.

Brandon rolls out of bed - he really needs to get into the shower - and fishes through the clothes on the floor until he comes up with Alex's phone. "Unlock this."

Alex does, and Brandon takes it back. He programs in his number. "Call me next time you want to," he has to think to remember what they were doing before they hooked up, "play pool." He leans over and kisses Alex. "Now get out of here."

*

They come back from the summer and every time Brandon sees Alex for the first week, he's with this kid who follows him around and seems to hang on Alex's every word. When Brandon finally runs into them, instead of just seeing them across campus, Alex introduces him as Nikita, another Russian speaker.

Alex shows up at Brandon's apartment a few days later, like he did a lot last year, and he's barely in the door before they're kissing.

Later, Brandon says, "I didn't think we were doing this anymore."

Alex sits halfway up and frowns at him. "Why wouldn't we?"

Brandon shrugs. "I don't know. You seemed busy with other people. People your age. Who speak your language."

Alex looks horrified when he catches on to what Brandon's saying. "You mean Nikita? He's so young!"

Brandon runs his hand up Alex's arm. "You know I'm ten years older than you, right?"

"Yes," Alex says, "but I'm not young like that. Unless you think I am."

"No," Brandon admits. "You've never seemed that young."

"See? I am not too young. And I missed you all summer."

Brandon has some texts saved on his phone that say the same thing. He pulls Alex down and confesses, "I missed you too," into Alex's shoulder.

"Good," Alex says. "Then don't say stupid things like that. If you want to break up, you have to tell me you want to."

Brandon blinks. "I didn't know this was something that could have a breakup."

For the first time in this conversation, Alex looks uncertain. "It is, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Brandon says. "Yeah, I guess so."