Chapter Text
Lana Skye had a lot in common with every single other human on the planet. She liked things. She had emotions. She slept, sometimes. Just normal human things.
And, much like every other human on the planet, she had an inconvenient little gigantic crush on Mia Fey.
Dramatic? Sure. Hyperbolic? Probably not. How could it be? Mia Fey was smart, for one thing. She got top marks in everything, as far as Lana could tell, but she never seemed to spend too much time studying. Less time than Lana, anyway.
Then there was her appearance. Mia Fey had a perfectly professional-casual hairstyle, the cutest face of anyone Lana had ever seen, let alone met, and her… assets were more than admirable. They were…
Snap!
Lana looked down at her worksheet. It sported a grey streak of lead from where her now-broken pencil had skittered across it. Then she stared at the shard of pencil still clasped in her hand. She examined it dispassionately, eyes trained on the little woodchip she had left.
After a moment of consideration, she threw her head into her hands.
Lana’s… infatuation with her classmate was becoming troublesome.
__
The following afternoon, Lana was grabbing lunch from the dining hall when a polite throat-clearing sounded behind her. She turned around and nearly dropped her plate, barely keeping her composure at the sight that greeted her.
Mia Fey, in all of her beautiful glory, was smiling at Lana. What.
Lana smiled back, not daring to speak.
“Hey,” Mia said, her voice… strained? Lana filed that away for later consideration. “Lana, right? Lana Skye?” Lana nodded, no idea where this could possibly be going.
Then, worried about coming off as cold, she said, “Yeah, that’s me. And you’re Mia Fey. Do you need something?” Internally, Lana cringed. Nice one.
“Uh, yeah, I kinda do. You see, I was wondering…” Mia looked away, a vague red tint to her cheeks. “I was hoping that you’d be willing to give me a hand with something.”
Lana nodded her head and gestured for Mia to continue. Mia took a deep breath and said, tone more sure, “I was hoping you’d be my study buddy for a bit. I could use some help preparing for midterms, and you’re top of the class.” Mia smiled at Lana, bright, and continued, “I’d really appreciate it.”
Lana stared. Blinked. Stared some more.
Mia’s smile faltered a bit and Lana snapped out of her stupor. “Oh, uh, sure. I’d love to.” Lana winced, her mind screaming that she was coming off as desperate. Attempting nonchalance, she amended, “I mean, I wouldn’t mind.”
Despite Lana’s awkward backtracking, Mia’s smile returned in full force.
“Okay, great!” She pulled out her phone and Lana did the same.
“Give me your number. I’ll text you so you have mine, and from there, we can schedule something.”
Lana nodded and rattled off her cell number. Mia dutifully typed it in, her manicured nails clacking nicely on the keypad. While she wasn’t paying attention, Lana took some time to examine her features. Her eyelashes were long, her lips full, and-
Lana blinked. She hadn’t noticed before, but Mia had a mole on her face. Huh. Cute.
Ding!
A chime from her phone brought Lana out of her head and she reached to check it. A text from an unknown number greeted her, the message glowing just as bright as its sender.
Hey Lana, this is Mia Fey :) Wanna pick a date?
Lana exerted significant effort to not blush at the wording. She turned her attention to Mia, who was grinning something mischievous. Interesting. Another quirk to file away.
“Well,” Mia said after a moment, “I’ve gotta get going. I have a class in fifteen, but I’ll see you around, yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. Have a nice day,” Lana nodded, not turning away. She watched Mia walk off, waving over her back.
Once Mia was out of sight, Lana shook her head. That woman was more interesting than she had already thought. Now that she was gone, though, Lana had all of lunch to contemplate their interaction.
If that meant she spent even more of her free time thinking about Mia Fey, then so be it. Lana wasn’t about to complain.
__
Lana’s next text from Mia Fey arrived at three o’clock in the morning, when most rational people slept. Lana only knew this because of the text’s timestamp. She was busy sleeping by then.
Hey Lana! I’m struggling with studying right now. Are you interested in meeting up around noon today? There’s a cafe near the main library. Hope you’re sleeping well!
At seven o’clock in the morning, a far more reasonable time to be awake, Lana responded.
Yeah, that sounds good.
Mia texted back almost immediately.
Great! It’s a date ;)
Whoops! *:)
Lana half expected to turn into some kind of gooey charred pile, sort of like a burnt marshmallow, the moment she registered what Mia had sent. Was Mia Fey some sort of sadistic serial killer, attempting to take Lana out? Nope! Poor choice of words!
Lana groaned and patted her flaming face. She needed to calm down.
A deep breath later, Lana was ready to have actual coherent thought. She pondered her situation. Noon, huh? In that case, she might as well pick out an outfit.
Nothing wrong with dressing to impress on their “date.”
__
Lana arrived at the Cozy Book Cafe at exactly 11:50 am, ordered a latte with no less than three extra shots of espresso, and sat at the bar up front. As she sipped her drink, she hoped she presented a much more put-together facade than that of what she felt. If she was to meet Mia Fey in a condition of fluster, she wasn’t sure things would go the way she hoped they would.
Ah, and about what she hoped… Well, maybe Lana was a bit of a romantic, but she was only partially at this cafe, at this time, to study with Mia. The rest of her motive was part of a little plan she had come up with in the hours since her text from Mia. The plan was called, in Lana’s mind, “Operation Mia Fey: Discover Attraction.” Lana thought it was a solid name.
Step one required Lana to discover Mia’s sexuality. Lana had no interest in making a fool of herself for a straight girl, after all. Something in Lana told her that she had at least a shot, her detective mind picking apart Mia Fey’s constant usage of the word “date” and her initial awkwardness despite usually being far more assured.
Lana huffed, staring, likely mournfully, out the window she sat in front of.
She wasn’t prone to anxious thinking, unlike many of her peers, but she couldn’t help but be a little bit concerned. What if she accidentally overstepped Mia’s boundaries? What if Lana was too obvious? What if-
A confident, long-legged figure entered Lana’s vision, clad in a leather jacket and carrying a helmet of some sort. Lana’s breath escaped her at the sight, taken off guard by the way her heart stuttered. Christ, did Mia ride a motorcycle or something? Dangerous, certainly, but fuck if the image of Mia’s self-assured stride towards a sleek-engined ride didn’t stir things in Lana.
While Lana spaced out, Mia must have reached the door to the cafe. It was only the sound of the little bell above the entrance that snapped Lana out of an embarrassing train of thought.
Lana composed herself, turned to the entrance, and watched Mia look for her. She spotted Lana quickly, smiling that bright smile that seemed to be so common, and adjusted her backpack before rushing over.
Lana blinked, a little surprised. Mia didn’t even take the time to order anything. More information to later study.
“Hey, Lana!” Mia greeted, enthusiasm rolling off her.
“Mia Fey,” Lana smiled back, “It’s a pleasure to see you. I trust you’re ready to study?”
Mia seemed taken aback by something Lana had said, though Lana couldn’t quite pinpoint what. Interesting either way. Shaking her head a bit, Mia sat down next to Lana. She tossed her backpack on the bar and turned to Lana.
“So,” Mia said, “how do you want to start? I’m pretty certain we’ll be covering everything from Civil Rights law to Family law, so it’s your pick on where we start.” Lana grinned at Mia, hopefully not deviously, and answered, “I think we should start where the textbook ended for this semester; Civil Rights.”
A subcategory of step one was studying Civil Rights law with Mia Fey. It would inevitably cover gay rights, which is exactly where Lana would spring her trap. She’d grill Mia on her opinions in the guise of potential questions on the exam, and once she got her answer, she could further The Plan.
“Oh, great!” Mia said, “I like Civil Rights law! I’m personally more interested in Criminal law, but I also love to expand my repertoire. Especially when it comes to things I’m invested in.” Mia winked, and Lana’s whole plan fell to shambles as she blurted out, “You’re gay, aren’t you.”
She then proceeded to cover her mouth, shocked at her own boldness. Mia, however, took it in stride, laughing loudly.
“That’s pretty blunt, but yeah. I mean, bisexual, but close enough. I figured you’d pick up on it if I dropped enough hints, Ms. Detective.” Mia’s laugh subsided into a cheeky grin, and Lana felt her lips part to say something else likely embarrassing. Well, in for a penny…
“Dropping hints… You wanted me to know you’re bi. You specifically wanted me to ask, too. That means you wanted to know my sexuality…” Lana bit at her thumb, vacillating on a few possible answers to Mia’s unspoken question.
Mia, meanwhile, cocked her head and smiled something softer than her grin.
“Impressive, Detective Skye. Spot on. Anything else you’d like to tell me?” Mia’s hair fell to the side of her head, creating an impressive, draping background that contrasted nicely with her face. Lana took a deep, steady breath.
“I’m a lesbian, Ms. Mia Fey.” Mia opened her mouth to say something, but Lana held up a finger. “Ah-ah, there’s still more to this analysis.” Mia shut her mouth, smile firmly in place.
“You, in wanting to know my sexuality, as well as referring to our study session as a “date” multiple times, made clear to me what you want. And, Ms. Mia Fey, I must ask you a question: Why? And-” Lana swallowed past a lump in her throat. “-and why should I accept?”
Mia straightened up and Lana was struck nearly breathless by how determined she suddenly looked.
“Well, Detective Skye,” Mia said, folding her hands and turning to face Lana fully, “You’ve gotten a chance to show off your skills in your chosen profession; I think it’s my turn now.”
A deep breath later, Mia began her argument.
“To your first question, I think it should be obvious. You’re intelligent, you seem to be strong-willed, you’re clever, and,” Mia cocked an eyebrow. “You’re cute. That’s why I’m attracted to you.”
Call the fire department, because Lana was actually on fire for real. Forget a burnt marshmallow, she felt like a blazing forest. Sure, she’d know Mia liked her, at least in some capacity, but to hear it laid out so candidly and clearly… God, what had Lana just gotten herself into?
Mia chuckled, a shark-like expression on her face, and held up two fingers.
“As for your second question, well…” she shrugged. “That ought to be obvious, too, but to argue beyond any reasonable doubt, I’ll give you your reasons.” She cleared her throat, and Lana regretted every life choice she’d made that had led her to this moment. Mia seemed to have no trouble being embarrassed, unlike Lana, who was dreading finding out how red her face could get.
“First of all, I am also intelligent and strong-willed. I think we’d make a complementary pair, as I’m sure you’ll agree. It’s only logical that we get together, at least in some capacity, to bring out the even better in one another.” Okay, a solidly non-embarrassing argument so far…
“Secondly, I know you’re attracted to me, as well.” Lana nodded, not even bothering to argue. It was a fair point, if a little painful to have heard. Was Lana that obvious? No, not possible. Mia just had a fantastic investigative mind. Certainly admirable. Lana took a sip of her drink to hide her now-faint blush.
“Thirdly,” Lana held up three fingers and wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m great in bed-”
And there went Lana’s latte, right out of her mouth and onto the counter.
Mia guffawed, pounding her fist on the bar. Lana mopped up the spit-take with napkins while Mia sucked in great breaths just to release them in howling laughs.
As Lana continued wiping, face almost hurt from how hot it was, Mia found it within herself to calm down. She wiped a tear from her eye and sighed.
“Heh, I figured something like that would happen. I mean, you seem pretty cool-headed, so I bet that this would fluster you. And you know what?” Mia leaned close. “You’re even cuter when you blush.”
Lana shot her a glare without any heat, and Mia’s smile softened.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I wanted to see what you looked like with a broken composure. I wanted to get a glimpse of you without a wall up.” Somehow getting even closer, Mia whispered, “It’s beautiful. That flush, those wide, teal eyes of yours…” Mia shook her head. “If you’re not careful, I might become smitten.”
Lana stared, mind computing everything Mia had just said. Something about the genuine interest in how Lana would react, what she would look like outside of a more professional demeanor, made Lana feel warm. Not her face, but something inside her chest. It was pleasant.
Sighing and dabbing at her mouth, Lana huffed. She turned away from Mia to stare out the window. Then, quiet, she said, “I accept your proposition, Ms. Mia Fey. I’d like to learn about you just as much as you’d like to learn about me.”
She turned back and found her hands suddenly wrapped in Mia’s larger ones.
“You won’t regret it,” she said, beaming. Lana stared at their joined hands.
“I certainly hope not.”