Summary: Nesta starts tutoring Cassian in o-chem, while Cassian mostly stares at Nesta the entire time. He has a school-boy crush.Ā
Nessian Modern AU-university setting.Ā
Cassian has never met anyone more perfect than Nesta Archeron. He swears sheās come straight out of a book. Fitting, he thinks, since every time he meets her, theyāre at the library.Ā
In fact, thatās the only place sheāll meet him at.Ā
He knows of two other places she frequents, two other places that are closer to their respective classes and many other places he suggests forā¦ his own motivations.Ā Nesta only wants to see him in a library. Something about the absorption of knowledge in that tiny brain of his, which frankly sounds offensive when she says it the first time. And the second time. And the third.Ā
Iām your tutor, she painstakingly reminds him.Ā Weāre not friends.Ā
Cassian wants to beg to differ. Tries on more than one occasion. Heās known her since freshman year, they have to be friends by now.Ā
Butā¦ sheās not wrong about being his tutor.Ā
His problem, Cassian admits, is that he doesnāt like to read. He doesnāt really like to study either, but with Nesta Archeron he finds himself jotting down notes. Not on any subject pertaining to his classesā¦Ā but in memorizing ever expression she makes, every roll of her eyes as she tells him to pay attention.Ā
More often than not sheās donning a grey fitted shirt that says University Printing in orange tiny print. Itās from her second job. Tutoring him is her third. Her least favorite, she says.Ā
Liar, he always wants to say. Iām much better to look at than toner. Ā
But Cassianās not so sure about that. So far, she only looks at him with disdain and he can rarely get a conversation out of her that doesnāt have to do with covalent bonds orā¦ something or other. He forgets. Cassian only remembers her voice, her hair, her eyesā¦ which defeats the purpose of tutoring and is probably not good for his grades. But alas, Cassian doesnāt find it in himself to care too much.Ā
Sometimes, if they meet on the weekends, sheās too busy to take off her black apron. She works at a coffee shop on the outskirts of campus, and she comes to the library smelling like coffee and Cassianās sure heāll focus this time. All adrenaline and caffeine, but then she talks and heāsā¦ listening, but really he only listens to her tone. Such haughty words she huffs, her eyes rolling as if she canāt believe he isnāt understanding after all this precious time. Ā
Are you even listening, Cassian? Ā
He likes when she says his name. It rolls off her tongue and she sneers and he likes that too. Ā
But most days, like today, Nesta Archeron wraps herself in sweaters. All manners of cardigans. And the best thing about her is the way her nose is stuck in a book. Cassian longs to trace her cheeks, pulling the few wisps of hair that falls, tucking it behind her ear. He imagines her blushing as he does it, staring at those well-used pages. Ā
All he ever gets from her is a glare. Ā
Like heās just stolen her from a world filled with muscles and nervous systems, or whatever people study in human physiology. Her stare often makes him wonder if sheās imagining how his body moves, how he breathes, if she can pull him part and hold his intestines in her hands. He feels like a wriggling rat when she looks at him. A little frog he canāt cut in high school biology without running to the bathroom nauseated. Ā
Cassian loves that look the best, though, so he waves at the girl who glares in her seat. The exact seat she always sits in for these sessions. If he grins more goofily than he cares to admit, wellā¦ heās no less happy to see her. Ā
āWhat are we learning today, Teach?ā Ā
Nesta rolls her eyes as he lays his bag across the table and he shuffles in search of his notebook. Ā
That much noise in a library? He can imagine her saying. Preposterous.
āThatās not my name,ā she grumbles out, instead. Ā
āWhat are you going to teach me then, Obi-wan?ā Ā
āIs that why youāre failing o-chem?ā She remarks, her nose scrunching in that very sweet, judgmental way of hers, āWatching too much Star Wars instead of opening up a textbook?ā
Indeed, she looks at the book he pulls from his bag. It is new, and he hasnāt opened it. Ā Every time he tries, he finds better things to do. Another video on Youtube, or one of his friends suggesting a trip to lunch or dinnerā¦ or breakfast. He tries to find numerous excuses on why he canāt open that book. Heās going to study from the slides, Cassian says, from his notes. But whenever he opens his notebook, all he finds is scribbles. Ā
Cassian sighs. He hates this class. Ā
But he swallows down his disdain, āIāll tell you the truth if you tell me what your favorite movie is?ā Ā
Nesta shakes her head, her lips pursing as if she might tell him off in a minute or two. Cassian looks at his watch as if he might time it exactly. A ticking bomb. First the pursed lips, then the stern gaze, then the red face and sheāll blow.Ā
āNo,ā she announces, āIām here to tutor you, not entertain.ā
āSuch a shame since I brought the clown suit today, thought youād look good in the red nose.ā Ā
Nesta blinks up at the words and Cassian holds back his grin. Ā
āYouāre weird,ā she huffs, taking his book out of his hands and opening it up to the first chapter. Ā
āI brought you something today. To sweeten our time together.ā Ā
Her brows scrunch at that, but he pulls the container out of his bag, crinkling and noise be damned. Cassian lays out the cake and places the fork next to the textbook. Ā
āYouāre bribing me with cake?ā
āChocolate cake,ā he explains, āand not just any cake. This is from the dining hall near South Campus. Best cake in the world.ā Ā
āI know the dining hall,ā Nesta scoffs. Ā
āThen youāll know how good the cake tastes.ā Cassian pulls the container back towards him, pulling apart the packing for the fork. āBut if you donāt want it, I guess Iāll just eat it myself.ā Ā
āI didnāt say I didnāt want it,ā she says and he can already see her resolve wavering.Ā
Itās always like this. Cassian bribing Nesta with sweets until sheās gliding her fingers down the text book, one sentence at a time. Quizzing him with flashcards until he can only see double lines and circles in his mindā¦ and that tiny smile she makes when she takes just one bite.Ā
Nesta taps her pencil on the page, distracting him from his thoughts. āThis doesnāt mean Iāll take it easy on you this semester. You barely passed biology last semester.āĀ
Cassian scoffs, raising his chin.Ā āThat was sophomore me. Iām serious now.āĀ
But then Nestaās reading off the page, drawing diagrams in his notebook, and heās only staring at her lips.Ā
This is going to be a long semester.Ā
Tagged: Ā @my-fan-side, @sophilightwood, @nestaarcher0n, @duskandstarlight, @soitsgorgeous, @ekaterinakostrova @swankii-art-teacher, @lordof-bloodshed, @thewhelk, @daisy-in-danger, @highqueenevankhell, @lovelynesta, @sirendeepity, @champanheandluxxury, @ladynestaarcheron, @moodymelanist, @teagoddess99, @spoilersteph, @angelic-voice-1997, @bo0kmaster69, @drielecarla, @generalnesta, @cozycomfyliving08 @arinbelle
Poor boy, heās going to fail his classes.Ā
Anyway, this is another fic Im sure Iām not going to finish but had an idea for so I ran with it for one scene and probably one scene only.
