Lorna and Alex - after class

[sunpowered]

His first class on Mondays was easily Alex's favorite. Because, rocks!! But also because of Lorna, who always arrived in a rush, always with a roommate horror story. Even if she wasn't beautiful and brilliant, Alex would still be totally fixated on the soap opera of Life With the Evil Twins. What would they do this time? Change the locks again? Use not just the hot water, but all the water, period?

Alex only believed they were real because everything else about Lorna was totally credible.

He still kind of wanted to meet them.

This morning, they hadn't had a chance to share their usual twin update - Lorna had been late, and the work had been so absorbing they'd just talked about the lab instead - but as they walked out together, Alex turned to her with a grin.

"Let's go to that coffee cart, drink all the coffee, and you tell me about your weekend and morning with the rich bitches."

Comments

[sunpowered]

Alex laughed - sympathetically! - collecting their coffee, passing Lorna her cup. "So she's a nudist now. What about the other one? Is he leaving you alone while she strips for you or is he also a nudist? Do they even, I mean, what do they even do with their time? No one can spend that much time annoying another person, right? Not even my brother and me -- okay, maybe -- nope, not even."

[alphaursaeminoris]

"He is, thankfully, remaining clothed for the time being." If he got naked too, that might just be the straw that broke the camel's back. As much as she did not want to go whining to Erik and have to explain that his children were terrible and she hated them, she had to draw the line somewhere. "And I don't know! They're in school too, supposedly, but I don't think they go out much." Lorna was more grateful by the day that she was an only child.

[sunpowered]

"I can't believe you go through all of that and then you're still on top of your game in class. I would totally lose my temper." But then, Alex could be brash and hot-tempered at totally normal things - who knows how he'd react to the world's weirdest roommates?

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Oh, I have a little dartboard in my room with their names on it now." She liked to unwind paper clips with her powers and then send them flying at corkboard. "Besides, you only see me in my favorite class. I'm a total mess when it comes to lit."

[sunpowered]

"You play darts?" Not bad. "I relax by lying in the sun with a beer, but whatever works, right? So you're not a genius at everything?"

[alphaursaeminoris]

"If you think I'm a genius at anything except drinking too much coffee and perpetually being late, your standards for genius are way low."

[sunpowered]

"Probably," Alex agreed, unfazed. "But you're gonna be one hell of a geologist."

[alphaursaeminoris]

Lorna blushed lightly at the compliment and sipped at her coffee. "Thanks, Alex. So are you."

[sunpowered]

"I try! We're a pretty good team." And not just because they needed the same amount of coffee to function.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"We are. It's a good thing class isn't a competition, or all those other nerd would be toast." She was pretty sure most of their classmates thought she was a hot mess, but that didn't matter. Lorna was used to having to ignore what other people thought of her, and living with the twins was only reinforcing that lesson.

[sunpowered]

People probably only thought Lorna was a hot mess if they didn't know how great she was at geology. "Who said it isn't a competition?" Alex asked, grinning at her, waggling his eyebrows.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Our professor, on the first day of class, pretty sure," Lorna shot back with a laugh. The schol tried to foster a cooperative rather than a competitive spirit, but of course that could only go so far.

[sunpowered]

"I definitely wasn't listening," he said, smiling. "Too busy scoping out the future losers of this competition."

[alphaursaeminoris]

"I am so trading up for a lab partner that knows how to pay attention," she teased.

[sunpowered]

"Rather than one who knows science?" This was the one thing - the one thing! In his entire life! - that Alex could be cocky about.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Science can be taught! Paying attention, though... I'm betting you're the incorrigible type." Lorna was grinning over her coffee.

[sunpowered]

"I'm incorrigible, but like, I'm cute about it." Alex grinned back at her, easily.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"I don't know..." she replied, pretending to seriously consider his claim.

[sunpowered]

Alex rested his chin in his hands, just smiling at her. Cutely.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Cuteness is not required in a lab partner." Of course that was kind of conceding the point that he was, in fact, cute.

[sunpowered]

That snapped Alex out of his pose; he laughed triumphantly. "You do think I'm cute!"

[alphaursaeminoris]

"Yes, you are just racking up the qualities that are of no use to me. Congratulations." She rolled her eyes playfully.

[sunpowered]

"No use to you? You sure about that?" Was he flirting? Oh yeah. Alex was flirting.

[alphaursaeminoris]

"What do I need from you when I have a naked Wanda in my life?" Her voice was wry.

[sunpowered]

"Aw, man. I can't compete with a beautiful insane woman."