𝙰 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙲𝚞𝚛𝚟𝚎 (𝙽𝚂𝙵𝚆)

[Lady Jace Beleren]

For Bunny <3

A Learning Curve
Chapter 1

Mikaela tapped her nails against the side of the red Solo cup in her hands. No matter how much she stared at the table in front of her and wished silent social cues into the world, it seemed that she would be doomed to listen to stories about what he, Daniel she recalled vaguely, and his "boys" liked to get up to. Not that he was really all that terrible. She had been subjected to far worse just walking around campus. It was just that flirting and talking were both equally difficult for her.

Flirting because she had no memory of ever really being interested in it. No boyfriends, no first kiss, no anything. At first, she hoped college would be different. Now, just finished up her first semester, that hope had gone away. Her roommate, bless sweet Anya, had been so incredibly sweet about everything. About her weird roommate who never seemed to show much interest in other people. That led to the other problem. Conversation.

Mikaela always found speaking with people to be a complicated web of bullshit that had no solution. You could try your best and be turned away, never to know what went wrong. Even worse, if you were too kind, people assumed they could get to do things for them. So, she only spoke with people she had gotten to know. Painted herself on the wall like a pretty flower when strangers were around. And yet, somehow, she had ended up at a party.

Finals were over and Anya had told her about a party. Mikaela, as always, had been skeptical. But, there were going to be free drinks, not too many people, and Anya had promised the older girl who invited her would only be allowing fun people in. Anya, unfortunately, knew most of the people here. Apparently half of the physics department at Harden University were besties and met up like this regularly. Which meant Anya disappeared to talk with them. At the least, Mikaela had free beer, another thing Anya had introduced her to early in their friendship.

Now, it was all she has to keep her distracted while Daniel talked at her. Her focus was directed so intensely at the coffee table that she did not notice when he finally stopped until a new voice joined them above the low murmur of the party.

"She isn't interested, Dan. Don't be a pain in the ass." The voice was strict, but surprisingly soft given what it said. Mikaela looked up to see the source and nearly dropped her cup.

Standing above the couch, half leaning on one of the arms, was the prettiest girl she had ever seen. Even leaning as she was, it was clear she was on the taller side for a woman, probably only a few inches short of six feet. Her hair was a bold combination of dark scarlet and fathomless black, long enough to reach her shoulder on one side with an undercut on the other. She was pale as snow, her bloody red lipstick and dark eye liner making it stand out even more. Most striking of all, her eyes were so green they shone in the light. Mikaela had no idea how long she stared before Daniel replied.

"We were just having a conversation, right..." The silence hung like a guillotine over Daniel.

"Mikaela." Her voice was thin even by her own standards.

"I wasn't forcing her to sit here or anything."

The beautiful woman sighed and gave Daniel a withering look that she doubted anyone could weather for long. Not if they suspected they were doing anything wrong. It took Daniel about seven seconds to give in and stand. He did not seem especially angry, but there was something about his posture Mikaela thought was strange. He muttered a quiet "sorry Bella" as he slipped around pretty girl.

It happened from time to time. Mikaela would see someone who was visually pleasing. But, it never went further than a glance. Never lingered. She was sure she would forget about this woman, Bella, before the party was over. That is, until she felt the cushion sink down beside her and a shoulder nudged her own. Mikaela looked over to see that Bella had settled onto the couch beside her.

"Sorry about him. Dan isn't like... a creep or anything. I don't invite creeps to my parties. He just talks a lot and you looked panicked. I'm Bella. I don't recognize you." There was no accusation in her voice, just curiosity. It only took Mikaela a moment to figure out that she was the cool older student Anya talked about.

"I'm Anya's plus one. Blonde with the curly hair." The little smile told Mikaela that Bella knew who she meant immediately. However, it took only a moment for that to turn into a long silence as Bella looked at her, likely waiting for more. "I'm a freshman. Psychology major."

"Do you usually go by Freshman or Psychology Major? Should I call you Psych for short?"

Mikaela felt the blush immediately spread across her face, one hand releasing its death grip on her cup to nervously push hair away from her face. "My name is Mikaela." A quick sip of her beer was the only thing that came to mind. She would need to find Anya or more alcohol if she wanted to survive.

"Mikaela is a cute name. I always just get Twilight jokes. I am going to guess that Anya left you alone to go flirt with Cam." There was a small and knowing smile on Bella's lips. Like she knew everything about everyone she invited to these things. And now Mikaela was next to he studied.

Mikaela, however, just gave her a little nod. It seemed Bella understood exactly why Daniel had gone on talking for so long. She was ready for the gorgeous woman to get up and leave. After all, it was a party. Except, she stayed right where she was. Just looked at Mikaela with nothing but kindness on her face. It must have been another thirty seconds before Mikaela felt the silence too heavily to stay quiet.

"So... this is your apartment?" Mikaela felt her stomach flip over at how widely Bella grinned.

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

Chapter 2

Mikaela was laughing and Bella could not help the smile that seemed to be a centerpiece of her face tonight. It had honestly been fun trying to tease out bits of information from this stray freshman who showed up at her party. Eighteen years old, Psychology Major, born on the east coast. More than that, Mikaela was firmly what Bella considered her type. There was no way she was taller than five foot, and she looked like a princess. Long, dark red hair, the kind of color Bella would have killed to get. Her blue eyes and generous spray of freckles put her firmly in the ginger category. She was terminally shy, but still showed up in an adorable blue and white gingham sundress. Clearly west coast winter did not fazed her.

There was only one problem. Mikaela seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that Bella was interested. From the faces she was making, she knew what Daniel was looking for. Maybe Bella was a hypocrite for chasing him off, only to spend the next hour asking questions and poking. But, they were both on their third Solo cup and Mikaela seemed to be loosening up. She had even sent Anya on her way when she checked in.

"So, I know all your info now. But, I've been asking all the questions. It's your turn." Bella was leaning closer now, sitting with her shoulder pressed to Mikaela's, that stupid fucking smile she could not stop creeping back up.

"Um... I guess all the same stuff you asked me?" Even her little freckles could not hide the creeping blush that came with having to do the talking. It made Bella want to give her a hug, but she settled for answering instead.

"I'm twenty three, second year of my master's program for physics. Which is why I inherited the obligation of hosting the physics department hookup parties." The words hookup had Mikaela suddenly wide-eyed, looking around. "I'm a local, my parents have two cats and a dog. What else did I ask?"

There was a small lull, one of a dozen that had crept up. Most people would have found it awkward, but she was enjoying watching the redhead fidget, never pushing her to talk more or answer faster. However, this time, Mikaela was just looking up at her, blue eyes wide like an owl. The quiet stretched on longer than normal, but of them just watching. Until, finally, a small voice spoke up. "I can't remember. I don't know the last time I talked this much."

Bella smelled blood in the water. Two cups of shitty beer was not enough to have Mikaela forgetting conversations. So, she decided to pick a question that got more to the point. "Well, Mikaela... do you have a boyfriend?"

Neither of them really needed an answer. It was fairly obvious that this little wallflower was not dating regularly. However, when her entire face lit up pink, Bella suddenly felt guilty. Why was she being such a nosy bitch when obviously Mikaela was just tagging along with her roommate?

"No..." Mikaela was so quiet that Bella leaned in closer. She could practically feel the heat flowing off her cheeks. When the shy girl noticed, she spoke up a little and answered again. "No."

Bella suddenly found herself feeling a little shy as well. Why, she had no idea. Instead, all she could think to do was rephrase, try again. "What about a girlfriend?"

That broke something fundamental in Mikaela, had her shoulders go stiff and her eyes dance between Bella and the coffee table. It was a long time before she answered, this time not looking up. "I've never dated anyone before."

"Seriously?! You are so cute, though." Bella wanted to bite her tongue as soon as it slipped out. Now there was no getting around it. She was flirting shamelessly, being the worst kind of hypocrite. And now, she was feeling a bit like a creep. Mikaela was five years younger, nothing in the relative scale of things, but she had never dated. Meanwhile, Bella was... experienced. She felt like a creep, plying this poor girl with alcohol and almost asking if she was interested in hooking up. She was ready to apologize and go find Anya when Mikaela turned to look at her with those wide eyes and confessed like she was admitting to sin.

"I've never wanted to. I talked to a few people about it. I think I might be ace or something? I don't know. Does that make me a weirdo?" Mikaela seemed to be very concerned about the answer and Bella found herself wanting to go find the nearest cliff the throw herself off. She had scared the girl into coming out to a stranger. All she could think to do was try to be gentle.

"That doesn't make you a weirdo. And you didn't have to explain anything to me. Do you want me to go fuck off like the nosy asshole I am?" Bella's face showed her remorse. If there was one thing she could understand, it was having people give you shit for not being their version of normal. As it had so many times, the silence stretched for a while. This time, it was Bella's turn to stare at the coffee table. And, when the silence started to become painful, Bella took that as a hint. She would go find Anya.

And she almost tripped as she went to stand and Mikaela pulled her down to sit again. It was surprising how much the little pixie managed, especially when one hand still held her drink. Mikaela stared at her fiercely now, like she was holding a whole conversation in her head and did not like the outcome. The redhead lifted the cup to her mouth and took a long, gulping drink, her fingers still tight on Bella's wrist. It made the older woman smile, made her want to explain that a sudden chug was not going to make her feel better.

"I don't think I would mind. If it was you." Mikaela's cheeks were now burning red, but she looked determined.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Mikaela?"

There was no long silence before the other girl nodded vigorously.

 

[Lady Jace Beleren]

Chapter 3

Mikaela stared at herself in the little mirror propped on her desk. Today, she had probably spent more time looking at herself than the rest of her life combined. Doing this in the bathroom would have been too embarrassing, given that anyone could walk in whenever they felt like it. Most people were already packing up to head home now that finals were over, but having someone catch her checking her outfit would have been mortifying. No, she was better off with Anya, who sat on her bed and evaluated her roommate with the keen eye of someone who had actually been on a date before.

"I think you're trying too hard. She flirted with you all night and you weren't even wearing makeup. Just do your usual wholesome and innocent thing." It was probably the fifth time Anya had expressed a similar opinion. Not that it was fair for Legally Blonde Anya to give advice. Mikaela had been jealous from the moment they met, though she never really understood why.

"Easy for you to say. Cam looked like he was ready to die, all goals in life complete, when you kissed him." It had been sweet, chaste. Likely because Mikaela had been ten feet away, waiting for her roommate to come with her into their dorm building.

Talking with Anya had come naturally, and evolution from necessity to friendship. Asking if she was hungry turned into complaining about classes. Now, it felt like she was with family. Natural and easy. It had been the only reason Mikaela even went to the party. She would likely follow Anya into Mordor if it meant keeping this connection alive. Which, it seemed, went both ways, considering that Anya had been sitting and going over outfits for two hours now. They had hit a bit of a dead-end when they realized Mikaela's wardrobe ranged from cute to Mormon house wife. Her sundress from the party had been as sexy as it got.

Anya was four inches taller and in possession of several times the amount of breasts, so borrowing was out of the question. The most amazing part was that, for the first time in her life, that mattered. She wanted Bella to think she was attractive and it was so fucking weird. There had been attempts at dating. Friends who wanted more than friends. Mikaela had tried. Really tried. But, even an attempt at kissing had shut the whole thing down. She had always known she was not sex repulsed, had desires on her own. Having them apply to another living, breathing human being was a surprise. Now, it felt like everything was on overdrive. Like it been building up, waiting for the right moment.

"Are you sure I can't wear the dress again? She liked it." Anya's sigh was dramatic enough to be an answer. The blonde looked her over before doubling down in the dramatic sighs and threw herself off the bed to stalk over to her dresser.

"Fine. I'll give you something to wear. But, you are forbidden from complaining about it. Your pearls will remain unclutched." If it had sounded exasperated, Mikaela might have felt safe. Startlingly, Anya sounded excited. So, when Mikaela gave her a nod, she had a feeling she would regret it.

-----

Mikaela tugged at the skirt for probably the sixth time since she sat down. It was black and just long enough to sit atop her knees as she waited at the little table on the patio of the coffee shop. That meant it was shorter than anything she had worn by her own choice. The cherry blossom pink button up shirt was much more her style, except it was so thin that it mostly created the illusion of clothing. Thankfully, she had her own tank top to wear underneath, despite repeatedly informing Anya it was an undershirt. The black fabric stood out under the pink until it blended with the skirt at her hips. Anya had forbidden her from doing up more than half the buttons, insisting she already looked like she was on a job interview. Mikaela felt like she was exposed to the world. She had cleavage showing, for fucksake.

Except, when Bella arrived, the other woman seemed to light up. She had waved and disappeared inside to get her own drink. All plans had gone into stop-and-start conversation that ended with Mikaela not being able to pick something. She had been afraid Bella might call everything off in the two days since the party, but yesterday she had sent one message. "I'll take care of it." Mikaela could have wept for joy. So, they were meeting up for coffee before Bella whisked her off on whatever she thought was a fun date. It seemed unlikely she would be bored, to say the least.

That was more or less confirmed when Bella finally came out the side door, massive cup of coffee and whipped cream in her hand. She could have been carrying a bomb covered in neon signs and Mikaela would not have seen it. When she waved, the redhead had only seen her from the shoulders up. Now, Mikaela was fairly certain her heart stopped. Or dropped into her stomach. Or both.

Bella was wearing an all black dress covered in cute cartoon skulls. Unlike the sundress she had so desperately tried to wear again, this one hugged tight to generous curves. It cut off mid-thigh and led into the fishnet stocking that covered pale legs. The neckline plunged low, showing off more cleavage than Mikaela could have conjured with a pushup bra and a miracle. When they had met, Bella had been wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, and she had been stunning. This was torture. All she could think to do was lift her cup to her mouth and fill her mouth with peach tea to avoid saying something stupid. Or just sitting with her mouth open.

Bella settled across from her, seemingly so confident as she crossed her legs and leaned forward. There was a big smile on her lips as she looked Mikaela over in a polite way. Like she knew anything more might scare her off. "You look cute. But, I think you would look amazing in a plastic bag."

Mikaela was malfunctioning. That was the only way to describe the things that fired off randomly in her brain. Was this what everyone felt when they saw a gorgeous woman dressed up just for them? It was so distracting, so difficult to keep her eyes in one place. There was a trademark silence between them again, but this time it was because Mikaela forgot words existed. When she finally remembered that it would he polite to actually speak, it must have been almost too long. They both started at the same time.

"You look..."

"So are you..."

Another pause, but only for a heartbeat before Bella laughed and it made Mikaela want to melt into a puddle. "Go ahead."

"You look... really pretty. I like your dress." Mikaela felt her face starting to heat up.

Bella preened, like a compliment from Mikaela was so much more valuable. She was about to inform the other woman that she still appreciated attractive people, but Bella spoke first. "I thought about dinner and a movie, but that felt too cliché for your first date. Plus, lots of people. Would you rather it be a surprise?"

If Mikaela had not already been in the throes of her first crush, it would have started there. It felt unfair to rob Bella of her surprise when she clearly thought about this a lot. So, Mikaela lifted her drink to her lips and gave a small nod again.

Bella sat back in her chair and looked rather smug. "Alright. Buckle up, buttercup."

-----

Buckling up had probably been an overstatement, but Mikaela had smiled stupidly anyway. It seemed they were staying on campus, but she was grateful she had gone with sneakers. The park was a regular figure of campus activities. All the social events the school held were there. Mikaela had yet to visit it. But, they had been walking among the orange leaves for a while now, sharing occasional information and asking questions. Bella had gotten into the habit of providing her own answer for everything she asked before making Mikaela respond.

She was the middle child between two brothers, had never dated any cis men before, planned to start graduate school after she finished her master's, and thought turtles were the superior pet because they could outlive their owner if you got the right kind. Apparently, she planned to leave her entire estate to her turtle, when she got around to getting one. When Mikaela laughed at that, Bella wore the same face she had seen on Cam.

Mikaela was an only child, had already expressed her dating history, wanted to go to med school, and still thought cats were better than turtles even if they could not inherit you worldly belongings. She had expected it to be harder to talk with Bella when there was zero alcohol involved. Somehow, it was easier. They were alone, most of the campus a ghost town, and having all the attention solely on her felt... exhilarating. When they finally walked through a little arch, covered in ivy, Mikaela would have already called it a successful date. Then, she realized where they stood.

"Oh my god. Did you use Anya to spy on me?" Mikaela felt a hand close on her own as she looked around, and did not hesitate to squeeze back.

Bella had obviously texted her roommate at some point because they now stood in the sculpture garden. It had been one of those stupid things she always obsessed over. At her orientation, they hyped it up as some kind of cultural touchstone for the university and Mikaela had asked Anya to go with her a half dozen times. Going alone had felt silly, but Anya had said, quote "those statues are ugly as fuck, Kay." Now that she stood among them, the row of abstract art and questionable knockoff Greek sculpture, Mikaela had to agree she was right.

"I might have done some recon. I refuse to believe that using all my resources is creepy. I will not be taking questions on the matter." Bella laced their fingers and guided Mikaela to the left. The whole thing was one long row, hidden from all sides by lattice fencing and crawled with plant life. "You know this place is like... a huge inside joke right?"

Mikaela shook her head, cheeks flushing as she walked alongside the taller woman, looking over the twisted metal that looked like a giant hamster ball. It was a good thing it was all hideous. She would have been too distracted to enjoy it anyway.

"Yup. They have all kinds of fucked up nicknames. The school just kinda bought whatever was cheap to fake some culture." Bella started pointing as they walked. "Gerbil Jail, Red Light Green Light, Two Men and a Horrifying Baby, The Stinker. Oh, and my favorite!"

Mikaela was already giggling at every little nickname, but then they reached the end of the row. It was a man playing a piano, while a police officer tried to pull him away. It was, Mikaela thought, very unfortunately position. The man leaned over to try to play, with the officer pulling at his shoulders. Proudly, Bella declared. "Sodomy in G Minor!"

Mikaela felt like she was going to pass out when she finally stopped laughing.