Hi 👋 I was hoping to make a request for a powder au ? R liked annoying powder as a kid but also was her bff (had a crush on her,never said anything) she kinda hated it but also didnt? but r suddenly disappeared. They run into each other in college, they both start realizing their feelings. Just a lot of fluff thank you!🩷💕
of course! thank you for the request <3
❥・summary; as a child, powder was the only person you could truly connect with. after the bridge, though, the two of you fell out of touch- only to meet each other again in college.
❥・tags/warnings; au!powder, university au, but i'll use the word 'college' bc i'm american sorry, childhood best friends to strangers to friends to lovers, pining, fluff.
❥・wc; 6.9k
hii! this is such a cute request, i wasn't sure if you wanted au powder or powder to jinx so i went with au powder. i'm so sorry if that wasn't your vision
“powder, you can’t say that!” you gasp, having to stifle a laugh. your friend is already doubled over, clutching her stomach- she finds herself absolutely hilarious.
“what? i’m just saying what everyone else is thinking!”
you roll your eyes and shake your head. you know that anything else you say will fall on deaf ears, and honestly? what she said had some truth to it. you won’t give her the satisfaction of being right.
“so what if that enforcer was ugly?! you can’t compare him to a toad! that’s, like, disrespectful to toads all around the world!”
“oh, please, it doesn’t matter. you know i’m right.”
“nope.”
powder leans forward from where she’s sitting on the staircase, cloudy night sky stretching out over the two of you. although zaun never truly sleeps, this time of evening usually holds a peaceful tranquility you can’t find any other part of the day. the streets neighboring you are filled with idle chatter rather than boisterous laughter and drunken tumbling.
you and powder have been best friends since the fateful day the two of you bumped into each other in the lanes. her older sister was by her side, holding her hand to make sure she didn’t get lost amongst the chaos that was the undercity. both of you were eight years old, in that awkward phase where you aren’t quite little kids, now starting to gain an understanding of the world around you- yet still too young to truly comprehend all of it.
you gave the girl a little wave, and she waved back, a small smile tugging at her lips. vi looked down at her, then over to you, and a silent exchange seemed to happen between the two of you before vi let go of her hand and powder came running over to you, eagerly introducing herself. almost anxious to make a new friend, but excited nonetheless.
you were always too shy to approach other kids first. much like the majority of zaun’s child population, you were without a conventional family- only having your father and siblings to rely on. even so, that was unstable, seeing as your father worked more than he was ever home so that he could afford to keep a roof over your head.
a quick friendship blossomed between you and powder. soon enough, the two of you were attached at the hip- “never one without the other,” as vi put it. vander welcomed you into his home as if you were another one of his adopted kids, an ever-growing nest. of all the people you knew, powder was the only person that you felt could truly understand you.
and beside her sister, powder felt the same.
now, at twelve, you two are so close to that terrifying stage that is the teenage years- anxious and excited all the same, feeling a little less afraid since the two of you will be entering it together.
of the pair of you, you’ve always been the more level-headed one. both of you are equally smart, but powder tends to live with her head in the clouds. often, you’re the one that has to ground her- and in the same vein, she’s reminding you to think bigger, to dream bigger. opposites in mindset, but it works perfectly. you balance each other out.
“yeah, and you know it.” powder snorts.
you just shake your head, letting out a heavy sigh of exasperation. “whatever you say, pow-pow.”
her expression lights up and she pumps her fist like you’ve just confirmed a great victory, and you chuckle at this. before long, the girl is onto the next subject, yapping away in the way you’ve grown to take great comfort in.
“so.. vi and vander are planning this thing tomorrow at the bridge, saying they wanna take down silco and his goons! but stupid vi keeps saying i can’t come,” she grumbles.
you know this well. it’s not like she’s told you a million and one times- but still, you’re always here to listen.
“it’s for your own good,” you gently remind her, and now it’s powder’s turn to roll her eyes. “she doesn’t want you getting hurt.”
“i’m a big kid, i can handle myself,” she insists. “aaanyways.. i’ve been working on a new monkey bomb with the crystals we found up topside!”
the girl fishes one of the little hex gems out of her side satchel to show you, smiling ear to ear. no matter how many times you see these, they’re remarkable- how could piltover make something so incredible, and how could powder decipher them so quickly?
“yeah?” you prompt.
“i’m gonna go, no matter what vi says. it’s gonna work this time, i know it will. vi’s just scared about nothing- she’ll see! it’ll be so awesome, like- i’m gonna save the day kind of awesome, and then they’re gonna have to see how strong i am. mylo and claggor too.”
you give a small smile, endeared by her enthusiasm. you can’t help the worry that clouds your mind, though, despite how sure of herself she seems.
at the same time, you’ve been friends with powder long enough to know that once she’s made up her mind, there’s no changing it. try as you might to talk her down, you’d be wasting your breath.
“..just be careful, okay?”
powder giggles, giving your shoulder a playful shove. “you worry too much. i’ll be fine.”
you sigh, nodding slowly. seeing your expression- furrowed brows, slight frown, powder’s expression sobers a bit and she pulls you into her side for a hug.
“seriously. i’ll be okay. you’ll see!”
powder, in fact, was not okay.
seldom were you so panicked. you lived close enough to the bridge to hear all of the commotion. you heard the explosions, then debris raining down on your roof. destruction as far as the eye could reach. looking out of your window that never quite closed, you saw the remains of that bridge and vander falling from it- then powder’s wails.
although you couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, you could tell that she was in utter agony. all the loss the two of you have witnessed, all the episodes you’ve helped her through, and you’ve never heard her like this. it brought tears to your own eyes, and right before you were out to jump out of that window to rush to the scene, your father tugged you back by your shirt.
“please, let me go-” you choked out through tears, scrambling to escape his grasp. looking over your shoulder, he only shook his head.
“better not to get involved.”
and fuck, he was right. that fact only upset you more. he know how deep your bond was, but he couldn’t risk you getting caught in crossfire. he couldn’t risk losing his eldest daughter.
you thought you’d hear something more from powder after the fact. the next day, you anxiously waited by your doorstep for her to turn up like she usually would- yet the never did. days of radio silence turned into weeks, then months.
it killed you. you blamed yourself more often than not- wishing that you could’ve done something to change her mind, even if you knew what was almost always a losing battle. tiptoeing through old memories of the two of you together. laughing, smiling, playing hopscotch in the alley and getting scolded for staying out so late. it brought you to tears without fail.
you had heard things through the grapevine. that it was a whirlwind, that powder killed everyone- then that was disproven, and there was said to be only one casualty, but you couldn’t get clear who exactly it was.
after some more time, it became clear, seeing as everyone in the undercity was saying the same thing: vi passed away.
powder held her dying sister in her arms and screamed out for her, pleading for her not to die. apologizing over and over until her vocal chords were strained. that was what you had heard that night, and knowing the full context of it made your heart ache even more.
if only you could’ve stopped her. if only.
you tried to go by the last drop, only to be greeted by vander- if he even was there, as he hired someone to help around the place after vi’s death. whenever you asked for powder, he’d just give a sad smile, and tell you that she wasn’t taking visitors at the moment.
it was hard for you not to take it to heart. it was even harder for you to move after your father decided to uproot the household and move them to a more affluent part of zaun- what could almost be called a suburb.
you tried to protest. you liked your life in the lanes, as unpredictable as it was- but your dad argued that this was the best for you and your siblings. you deserved better than to grow up by constant street fights. you deserved a better education. you had no choice in the matter, anyway, so you dragged your heels to your new home.
the years went by. things changed, you changed, you grew from an unsure young girl to a slightly-less-unsure young woman.
despite the passage of time, you never forgot about powder. the thought of her lingered in the back of your mind- what was she up to now? where did life take her? was she still in the lanes? the image of her, frozen in time as the lanky 12-year-old with the twinkling blue eyes and bright smile, wouldn’t leave you. you didn’t want it to.
life went on, though. sure enough, you went to a better high school, making it into honors classes and even earning a few college credits early. you made a few friends, keeping a small and tight-knit circle. you were close to all of them in different ways- and still, none of them could quite fill the hole in your heart that powder’s absence left.
the social and economic conditions of the undercity improved in ways you would’ve never thought possible just a few years ago. the sky was clearer, more people were housed, more people had access to higher education. a brand new trade school was built on the outskirts, which was a big deal for a city that’s never even had a college.
nights filled with laughter and fun memories didn’t hold a candle to your nights spent playing ball in back alleys and watching pirated movies on vander’s old box tv. and you hated how you felt, because these were good people that you were spending time with. you loved them and they loved you, treated you in all of the ways that friends should. yet no matter how hard you tried to move on, you couldn’t.
a part of powder would be with you forevermore.
even if it tugged at your heartstrings and made you cry in your bed as you submitted college applications. even if she was a frequent topic of discussion in your journals, and endless songs would always remind you of her.
your first day at the academy proved.. confusing.
overwhelming.
you were in five courses this semester, a good starting point, as you were told. two gen-ed classes, and three relating to your major. truth be told, you didn’t expect to actually get into the academy, granted with their openly elitist practices. students from zaun are few and far between. zaunite applications get thrown away frequently, and those who are admitted have a much higher standard to live up to.
you were shocked to even be admitted, and to your astonishment, you got a full-ride scholarship. you decided to pay the extra fee for a single dorm, seeing as it was covered by your scholarship. moving in was more of a pain than you expected. it’s true, the saying that you never realize how much stuff you truly have until it’s time to move.
despite the challenges, you’re here, and you’re gonna make sure to count your blessings daily. two classes monday, wednesday and friday, three on tuesday and thursday. your first day is a wednesday, and the morning class was related to your major. no heavy courseload yet, just introductions and the syllabus- as well as reluctant icebreakers.
last class.. modern physics: quantum mechanics. why this was a general education requirement, you had no idea. science was the credit you needed to get, but why were you enrolled in this course specifically?
it’s not that you don’t understand physics. it’s just that in all of your high school physics classes, you passed by the skin of your teeth. it’s not among your many strengths. what made it even worse is that none of your high school friends had been accepted into the academy, so you had nobody to rely on in class. nobody to borrow notes from. nobody to study with.
stepping into the crowded lecture hall, you saw a sea of people already there. some sat in the very front, an ambitious decision- and some huddled in the back. very few in the rows in between. after a few looks at who was sitting where, you decided to sit in the row third from the front. it had the least amount of people currently occupying it, though you figured the entire hall would be filled within moments.
you were right.
you grabbed your laptop from your bookbag and opened it to the online course page, as well as an empty spiral notebook and a ballpoint pen. just in case.
soon enough, the professor entered with a laptop and powerpoint ready, talking about the same procedures you’ve had explained several times. an overview of the course, attendance, grading policies, AI policy, deadlines, office hours.. it’s the same for every class with very minor changes. letting your mind drift for a moment, your gaze shifts from student to student in the rows in front of you. one is playing slither.io on their laptop, another is paying attention but yawning very loudly, another is resting their chin in their hand and seemingly trying to keep from falling asleep. your eye catches someone, though, sitting at the very front.
a girl with a petite frame, pale skin, in a green vest. her hair is pulled into high space buns, blue with a little pink streak on one side.
you recognize that shade of blue.
you recognize those shoulder freckles.
suddenly, your heart feels as if it might beat out of your chest, and you’re physically unable to focus on what the professor is saying. you can’t get ahead of yourself, you keep trying to think, but you wish so badly that the girl would just turn around. if only for a split second, so that you could see if she is who you think she might be.
you’re not sure if you hope it’ll be her or not. all these years spent missing your once-best-friend, and now you’re utterly terrified at the prospect of actually seeing her again.
would it be awkward? would the dynamic be the same? would powder think that you left her behind, or that you forgot about her?
worse, did she forget you?
you can hear your pulse in your ears, and suddenly, your hands gripping the chair beneath you begin to soak the plastic in sweat. the minutes crawl by as your mind races a mile a minute, thinking of every possible way this could end.
where do you even go from here? approach her? make a fool of yourself?
“class dismissed,” the professor says, cutting through your thoughts. with a huff, you stuff your laptop and stationery back into your bag. your eyes barely leave the girl in front of you for a second, and she turns to the side when the person next to her asks her a question- and you swear you can feel your heart stop. it’s as if the world stills completely.
that side profile.
those same twinkling, powder-blue eyes are locked on your classmate. the slim, low-bridged nose, the same gapped smile. you’d recognize it anywhere. if you were sweating before, your body is absolutely overwhelmed now. powder and your classmate wave goodbye to each other, and then she turns just a little more- and her eyes catch yours.
your heart stutters. for a moment, she stares at you dumbly, thick brows furrowing, but a beat later she’s gasping and rushing over to you.
“holy shit, it’s you!”
your eyes widen, and all you can manage is to nod. “and.. powder!”
all of the anxiety has washed away. the absolute best case scenario has happened, the girl from so long ago remembers you just as vividly as you do her. she hasn’t moved on, hasn’t replaced you.
without hesitation, powder throws her arms around your shoulders and giggles, and you allow yourself to laugh with her as you return her embrace. you’ve been waiting for this for years now- her arms are tight around you, and she’s got that same smell of vanilla body wash and vague oil from her mechanics that you remember so well.
it’s a bit awkward, being in the aisle of a lecture hall. a few students scoff and push past you, but neither of you pay any mind. you’ll savor this moment for as long as humanly possible.
you pull away reluctantly, enough to meet her eyes. do you see tears welling? you let out a breathy laugh. “what the hell happened to you?”
“well.. vi passed away,” she sighs, a flicker of inexplicable grief passing over her expression. she squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, though, and continues. “and after everything, vander wanted to lay low for a while. give us time to grieve, make sure that we’re safe, and give him time to get it through my head that this wasn’t my fault. i really struggled for a while, you know? i still do. i just.. i wanna make her proud. i wanted to come here, but mylo gave me the push i needed. said that vi would’ve wanted to see me make something of myself.”
you nod slowly, face softening with her words. you loosen your embrace to take one of her hands in yours and give it a gentle squeeze.
“yeah,” you murmur. “i think so too.”
powder presses her lips into a thin line. “and i thought of you. constantly. i wanted to go out and find you, but vander insisted we all stay in his line of sight. he was worried i’d do something since i wasn’t..” she gestures vaguely to her head with her free hand. “all there, mentally. but i just wanted to find you.”
gods, you’ve wanted to hear that for so long.
all this time wondering. finally, you have an answer, and you feel as if you’re floating. absolutely untouchable to the outside world.
“i tried looking for you too,” you breathe out. “but vander.. he always turned me away.”
powder’s eyes widen momentarily, and you figure that he must’ve never told her this.
“..by the time i could go to your house, it was empty. i tried to ask around, but everyone just said you moved. i knew that, but nobody knew where you moved to.”
“i’m sorry, i- my dad, he wanted to move us to a..” you can’t say ‘nicer’ when you mean richer. “..more affluent part of zaun, so we could go to better schools, and we weren’t around the chaos of the lanes.”
powder huffs at that, a smile tugging at her lips before shaking her head. “yeah, sounds like your old man.”
you shrug, mirroring her smile. she perks up then, and finally starts walking toward the exit.
“do you wanna see my place?”
“sure,” you hum. “what dorm?”
“i’m living off campus. cheaper that way.”
you just nod, following her lead.
soon enough, you and powder fell back into a familiar routine. there were some nerves at first, with all the life changes that had happened- both of you going from children to young adults, the entire world at your fingertips, and trying to navigate exactly what that means for you. one thing you’re sure about is that it’s much less daunting with a friend by your side.
after the initial stages, it was like no time had passed at all. despite powder’s appearance changing and her life taking a different direction, the dynamic was the same. her personality remained unchanged for the most part- still the same spunky, ambitious, brave, genius girl you once knew.
you learned that she was majoring in mechanical engineering, and that the class you shared was a requirement for that. she was surprised upon learning that it was just a gen-ed class for you, but shrugged it off. freshman scheduling is odd in that way.
you exchanged phone numbers and social media, and powder was disappointed to see that you only had an instagram which you never posted on. you just laughed, citing that you were always the more reserved one in the friendship.
you explored campus together, went to the various dining halls and cringed at the less-than-stellar ‘food’ they offered. you laughed at the gaudy academy merchandise that the rich kids wore like they were paid to. but now, only three weeks into the semester, you’re coming up on your first exam.
“do you wanna study together?” the girl had proposed, and you accepted immediately. she smiled, and pursed her lips. “where should we go?”
“campus library?” you suggested, but powder shook her head.
“no, too many people. i’ll get distracted.”
“..cafe?”
“same thing! ugh, can’t we just go to your dorm?”
you’re not sure why you haven’t thought of that, and you’re not sure why the mere idea is making heat rise to your cheeks. you nod slowly.
“uh- yeah. dorm works, it isn’t too far a walk..”
“superposition,” powder says, leaning closer to you. the two of you are sat on your dorm floor atop your rug, notebooks, textbooks, pens, and highlights scattered all over. it’s past dark now, and you’ve been at this for hours.
clearly, your friend is understanding this, but it feels like a foreign language to you. one without a dictionary, and powder is trying her absolute best to explain everything- you’d feel awful admitting that despite her efforts, this still makes no sense to you.
the problem on the study guide seems to be mocking you. you look at it over and over again. i = 24 3+2 − 7 2 3+2 − 3i 3+2 =2 − 3 5 i , and even though powder has offered to give you the answer multiple times, you’ve declined every single one.
“this is college, pow,” you sighed. “i can’t rely on others for stuff i should know.”
isolate one source, then analyze the modified circuit, repeat, sum.
it sounds so simple on paper, but in practice, you feel helpless. all those years of studying and all those good grades, seemingly for nothing- at least that’s the way you’re seeing it.
powder’s gone back to her own study guide, which she’s almost fully through. she’s solved every practice problem, memorized every definition and formula that she’ll need for the test. probably the ones she won’t need, too.
finally, though, you manage to isolate the source and analyze. for one, then the next, then you’re finished.
one practice problem down, fourteen to go.
“look at you,” powder giggles. “see? i knew you’d get it!”
you brush off her words with a small smile, shaking your head and rushing to write down the next problems. after the torment that was figuring out the first one, the rest come easily to you. same formula, different numbers, similar outcomes.
you’re not sure what makes your professor’s teaching so confusing. you’re not sure if it’s anything to do with her to begin with, but whatever powder has done has helped tremendously.
by now, she’s moving on to making her own practice problems, cross-referencing the textbook and study guide. you almost envy the girl’s understanding of this, but then again, she’s always been a genius. always been good at solving problems and working with her hands. it’s no wonder that she’s decided to go into this field.
“you’re really good at this,” you murmur, and powder snorts. just like old times, you think.
“eh, i’m alright. i know my way around.”
“no, seriously. i knew you were smart, but this is.. wow.”
powder gives a soft smile, shrugging and scratching down the rest of her practice problem. “you give me too much credit.”
“just accept the compliment.”
“alright, alright,” she rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “thank you.”
you look out the window, then at the time on your phone. 11:39 already? it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but then again, powder was always the type of friend that made time fly by just by being with her.
it’s good to see that some things don’t change.
“do you.. wanna stay over for the night? i’d just feel awful sending you to get home this late, and- i mean, i have an extra bed,” you gesture to the other side of the room, seeing powder’s blue eyes lift from her notebook. “you don’t have to. just offering.”
“alright,” powder sighs, not seeming to take any time to reflect. like a reflex. for some reason, that makes your heart surge, unlike the feeling you got during sleepovers as a kid. you brush it off.
she closes her notebook and haphazardly shoves it in her bag, kicking it to the side as she makes her way to your bathroom to wash up. you dim the lights before joining her in brushing your teeth and washing your face, then going back into your bedroom to change into pajamas. you feel bad almost, knowing powder didn’t bring anything of her own. she’s always been more than welcome to your wardrobe, though- and all of your belongings, really.
once she’s done, her hair let down and shorter than you remember it- you near gasp, seeing just how beautiful it looks falling over her shoulders- she climbs into your guest bed, directly opposite yours. with a yawn, you turn over and get under the covers.
“ready for bed?”
“mhm,” she murmurs, voice laced with exhaustion.
you reach over to turn your lamp off, and powder echoes your yawn. you hear some shuffling, then silence. closing your eyes, turning over.
it’s been a day.
of all the scenarios in your head, fantasizing about how you and powder might reunite, none of them played out quite like this. you thought you might bump into each other on the street, or find each other on social media, or find her working at a local shop. she never mentioned dreams of higher education, though.
all of that aside, though, you’re grateful that you’re finally together again. although you wish that you would’ve seen the years forming her into the woman she is now, you’re impressed by who she’s grown up to be. you hope that with even more time, you can learn the things that changed her, made her light up, and made her weep in the night.
you just want to be close to her again. so far, this seems promising.
powder cuts through your thoughts with a whispered “goodnight,” and her voice makes something in you ache.
“goodnight,” you reply.
you and powder rarely go anywhere without each other now.
after visiting the last drop for the first time in years, vander has welcomed you with open arms and explained all of what happened from his perspective. you were understanding, you forgave him, and within no time, the dynamic went back to the same it was years ago.
she’s still troubled. that much is clear. time doesn’t heal all wounds, and losing her sister has done more damage than she can explain. you don’t try to rationalize the pain to her, nor do you try to fix it. you’re happy to just sit with her in it, to rub her back as she cries and to tell her that vi would be so endlessly proud of what she’s doing. of all she’s accomplished. for powder, that’s enough.
it honestly shocked you, how quickly things settled into place. you expected some initial awkwardness and growing pains, yet none of those were present. powder had obviously changed, but not in any ways that would change your friendship.
you don’t remember her being this.. touchy, though.
it’s been a little over a month since that fateful meeting. it’s been a little over a month of slowly learning the basics of quantum physics, which powder has already finished. an easy A, as she puts it, just something to guarantee her degree. the lectures are drawn-out and dry, the homework is near incomprehensible. every time you look at the figures presented to you, you squint like you’re trying to read an ancient language.
somehow, powder is always able to reframe things in a way that you’ll understand. she’s truly been your saving grace, and you don’t believe you’d be passing without her guidance. late nights spent in your dorm have become routine. you enter class together, you leave together, you submit your assignments right after she submits hers.
this would surely ruin your friendship. considering that there’s no way in hell she’d ever return your affections, at least not in the romantic sense, you can’t imagine possibly confessing to her. confessing to her, and then ruining something so good. you’ve just gotten powder back after seven years.
you don’t want to risk losing her again.
today, you’ve had a lecture about the uncertainty principle. while most of it went over your head, powder assured you that she’d help you. just like always. as you pack up your bag and sling it over your shoulders, powder walks into your aisle and you give her a soft smile.
“hey, pow.”
“hey,” she hums. “everything good? your brain hasn’t totally turned to mush, right?”
“not yet,” you chuckle. “i’ll be fine. i have a great teacher right here.”
“oh, hush.”
powder playfully shoves your shoulder and you giggle, starting to head toward the exit of the hall. “say, there’s a new boba place nearby.. do you wanna check it out?”
powder nods quicker than she can think.
“do i? how far?”
“about a ten minute walk,” you say, pulling out your phone to start directions. “not bad.” the girl shrugs, and you’re on your way.
you hold open the door for her upon arrival, and powder murmurs a quick ‘thank you’ before stepping in. you look over the menu for a few moments before she smiles and goes up to the counter. once you both place your orders, you reach for your card, and powder gasps.
“hey, no!” “i’ve got it,” you insist.
“no. you paid for lunch last time, so i’ll get it this time.” “powder, really, it’s okay,” you huff, smiling gently. “if it bothers you that much, you can pay next time.”
the girl opens her mouth to argue, but you’ve already tapped your card before she can. she rolls her eyes and groans, practically dragging her feet to the other side of the counter to wait for your order. you have to stifle a laugh.
despite herself, when you join her, powder lays her head on your shoulder and leans into you. though still not happy, she’s so comfortable. so content.
messy, choppy blue locks sprawl over your shoulder, warmth radiating off her like sunrays on a spring day. the smell of oil is braided with her fruity perfume, and she sighs against you. crosses her arms as you ruffle her hair, and gives a lopsided smile.
gods, you think. she’s adorable.
heat rises to your cheeks as she relaxes more and more into you, but before you can truly soak in the moment, your name is called and your drinks are placed on the counter. powder’s smile widens and she snatches up the boba, and that’s when you realize that you might be falling for your best friend.
the dining hall’s food is barely edible, but it’s paid for by your scholarships. who has money for groceries, especially while they’re a student?
you grabbed a few slices of pizza for lunch. the cheese isn’t fully melted, and the crust is so hard it takes five minutes to chew. all the money people pay to go to the academy, and apparently none of it goes to food. it’s edible, at the very least. some kind of sustenance to get you through the day.
you’re mindlessly scrolling on your instagram feed as you eat, headphones in to drown out the hustle and bustle of students around you. college isn’t like high school. cliques aren’t as prevalent, and nobody looks at you oddly if you’re sitting by yourself. you have a lot more freedom to truly do what you want.
out of the corner of your eye, though, you see a familiar bag being set down and you take out one of your headphones. powder.
coming to terms with your feelings was.. difficult. the last time you recall having a crush was in your first year of high school, yearning for a girl in your english class whose laugh lit up your world. your hopes were crushed when you saw her kiss one of the school’s athletes on the cheek and walk away with her, arms looped, disgustingly in love.
you don’t remember feeling this way about powder before, and you can’t figure out what it is about her that makes you look at her this way now. but every time she reaches for your hand while walking to class, your heart jumps. every praise she gives you after you get a practice problem right makes you beam.
you revel in her warmth. while you initially dreaded the thought of the class, now it’s your favorite part of the day. everything else seems to pale in comparison.
she sets down a plate with a slice of pizza, the same as yours, some fruit, and varied bags of chips.
“they think this stuff is actual food?” she huffs.
you huff, giving a small smile to the girl as you shove your phone into your pocket. her hair is done in a high messy bun with pink and blue clips holding back the choppy face-framing layers she’s recently touched up, with a deep purple tank over a black mesh top. she’s hastily swiped silver glitter over both of her eyes and is wearing pink lip gloss. jean shorts over ripped tights and combat boots. she looks stunning.
put together and messy all the same, that balance that powder strikes so perfectly.
“according to the health board,” you remark. “you’d think that a prestigious school up topside would have something better.”
“you could tell me this was stillwater slop, and i wouldn’t think twice.”
that makes you giggle. regardless, powder bites into the fruit that’s still sort of fresh. she’s sitting so close to you it makes your breath catch in your throat. her thighs brush against yours, and you don’t dare move.
the feelings within you are so close to bubbling over. like they’ve taken full control of you, and the words are building up in your throat. you don’t want to say how much you adore her. at the same time, you want to scream it from the rooftops.
but she turns to you with that same smile, looking at you with such warmth in her blue eyes, droning on about piltover’s pretentiousness despite their actual conditions, and the words vanish. maybe you’ll remember them later.
you just nod along with her rambling, offering little ‘uh-huh’s and ‘yeah?’s. no actual opinions. nothing of substance. just you, watching her glossed lips move and her hands wildly gesture.
“i mean, they swear they’re so much better than us. but they’re serving fucking slop at the academy! ironic, huh?”
“yeah. ironic.”
“all i’m gonna say is don’t be surprised if i don’t show up to class one day cause i got food poisoning.”
“don’t get food poisoning, please,” you sigh.
“i’ll try,” powder playfully elbows you, smile stretching across her lips.
you’re fucked.
powder was supposed to leave two hours ago, but you got too caught up in studying. with midterms long gone, finals are approaching quicker than either of you would like. you decided to make a study session out of it, as you always do. notebooks on the floor, dried-out pens and crumpled papers overflowing from the trash, the glow of powder’s laptop being the only source of light in your dorm.
the harsh pitter-patter of rain against your windowpane drew a groan from powder. you aren’t gonna let her go out in this mess and potentially get sick, so you offered her your guest bed, and the girl hastily accepted.
powder’s absentmindedly chewing on the end of her pen as her dark brows furrow. this is a rarity. a concept actually stumping her.
“doing okay?”
“yeah, yeah,” powder mutters. “i’ll figure it out.”
“i’d help if i could.”
“i know you would.”
you’ve printed the same formulas, definitions, and figures down into your notebook more times than you can count. trying to imprint them on your brain, so that the final exam becomes effortless. something that you could do with your eyes closed. you’ve never been one to rely on others for academic help, but if powder isn’t understanding it? you might be doomed.
with a yawn, the girl across from you drops her notebook on the floor and stretches her legs out in front of her. “i need a break.”
“that makes two of us,” you say.
you climb into your bed, fighting the urge to lay down even though your eyelids feel heavy and your body’s grown weary. to your surprise, though, powder follows you instead of going to the opposite side of the room. she climbs the ladder, then plops herself down right next to you.
“we’ll figure it out,” she murmurs, exhaustion creeping into her voice. “just maybe not tonight. but you’ll see.”
“i guess so.”
powder’s hand rests over yours. warm, calloused from all of her tinkering yet still achingly soft somehow. the girl’s always been good at holding two truths at once. your eyes meet, tension thickening in the air between the two of you. your eyes flicker to her lips, then back to her eyes.
“you’re smarter than you give yourself credit for,” she murmurs. “just cause you struggle with this doesn’t mean you’re helpless.”
“yeah, i know,” you sigh. you wish that you could just brush it off, yet you can’t bring yourself to dismiss anything that your friend- is she a friend at this point?- says, no matter how untrue you may think it is. “it’s just really hard. i don’t know how you do it.”
“i was teaching myself this stuff when i was twelve,” she shrugs, and you scoff in amusement, because of course she was. you were there to witness all of it.
your fingers intertwine with hers, and powder gives a soft squeeze. your heart is beating like a wardrum, you can practically hear your pulse surging. janna above, how does she have this effect on you? does she even know what she does to you?
“i mean it. you gotta stop being so hard on yourself.”
“i’ll try.”
“i’m not convinced,” she squeezes your hand once again, and her face inches closer to yours. blue eyes boring into yours like she’s trying to persuade you with looks alone. you can see every line and crackle of her lips, the flyaways from her bangs getting in her eyes. so close that the two of you are sharing breath.
“i mean it.”
“i’m sure you do,” she chuckles, and that does you in.
without thinking, you lean forward, closing the mere centimeters of distance between you two. soft, is your first thought. she tastes like her cotton candy flavored chapstick, she smells perfect as she always does.
and to your surprise, she melts into your touch. her lips move against yours in a slow and steady rhythm, her hand finding the back of your head and fingers threading through your hair. you sigh against her.
you swear you can hear fireworks go off. your body feels like it’s floating, powder’s chest pressing against yours as your hands nervously find her waist. she licks into your mouth, slow and sweet, and you ever so slightly part your lips for her. then she smiles against you, and you can’t help letting out a breathy chuckle.
“i’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” you whisper, and powder huffs.
“why haven’t you?”
“i- i didn’t think you felt the same.”
she presses another kiss to your lips. tender and slow as the last, dissolving all of your previous doubts away. “i do, for the record.”
you give a soft laugh, and powder smiles, looking at you like you’ve hung all the stars in the sky. she yawns, and looking out the window to see rain still pouring down, you whisper, “do you wanna just call it quits for the night?”
she nods slowly, the late hour clearly catching up to her. she slumps against you as you finally lay down, and sleep takes both of you before you can murmur ‘i love you.’
