College AU

Preslea sat outside by the fountain, looking through her old journal from Mystal. For one thing, she couldn't believe she graduated and two, she couldn't believe she got into the college she wanted. However, it was in the mortal world. Only a few people wanted to go to a mortal college, Mattney, was one of those people. She grew up in the mortal world and liked it better than Magic Town U.  Uni was important to her and getting into her dream college was amazing. She missed her friends though...She missed her dorm and her Botany class. It was depressing but such a great opportunity. She sat there, flipping through the pages with her all her memories coming back.

There was a benefit to being born of a mortal family, and that was being able to go to school in the mortal world. Sure, Mal loved the magical world, and he and his parents had never been close, but he couldn't imagine living in the magic world for all his life. As a result, he had to go to a mortal college, to learn a mortal career, and so here he was. He didn't know how many other ex-Mystal students had come here -- he assumed not a lot -- but he found himself looking for some familiar faces. He managed to see a few, mostly students he had never spoken to -- before he lucked out and spotted Preslea. As quietly as he could, he walked over to her and sat down beside her. "What'cha reading?"

Preslea looked up and nearly tackled Mal in a hug. 'MAL!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.She was so happy to see a familiar face, even happier to see her best friend. "Mal, I didn't know you got in!" She pulled away and smiled up at him. "Well, It's my journal from high school." She showed him the picture of them from junior year where they took selfies in alchemy.

He hugged her tightly, equally as happy to see her and know that he didn't have to start making friends from scratch all over again. "I didn't know you were here either!" He released her, his big, childish grin that he never had grown out of plastered on his face. He looked down at the journal and pointed to a picture of himself. "Hey, I know that guy. Kind of a dork. Bet you're glad to be free of him," he joked.

"Aw, Mal...You're still the same." She cupped her hands around his face and grinned, studying his face as if she hadn't seen him in years. "Not really, he was a hell of a guy. One time, he dragged me out of the lake and I didn't die so he's pretty damn cool." She nudged him and laughed. Her laugh was still the exact same. Joyful and full of her spirit.

"So are you," he replied, his eyes meeting hers and holding them for a second before he turned to look back at the scrapbook and all the pictures of them back at Mystal. He missed those times, and wished he could go back to then. He didn't think he was cut out for the whole "responsible adult" thing that college seemed so insistent on turning him into. "Really? Sounds like a great guy, wish I could have been there to see that."

Preslea smiled up at him, her hazel eyes seemed to glow in the light. To Preslea, Mal was the boy she secretly loved, but they were so close it would never happen. She turned a page and found a picture of Mal in the forest before graduation. "See? You look the same!" She giggled and looked back at him. "Me too. Oh..he still is." She whispered and closed her journal.

He grinned and leaned his head on her shoulder, tired from a long day of classes that had already proven themselves to be harder than anything Mystal had offered. He liked this, sitting there with her, it felt so natural and right. He kept his eyes on the pictures she pointed to, meeting the familiar of eyes of friends he no longer saw and the best friend he had sitting there with him now. "Yeah, I do. Still as sexy as always." He grinned and looked at her. "That's good to know. It's always a shame when a great guy stops being so great."

Preslea patted his head and the stroked his hair. "You tired, Mal?" She liked having his head on her shoulder because she always did it do him. It was completely normal to her. "I will punch you in the stomach because of that comment." She glanced over at him and smiled. "It always is. Such a shame.." She muttered.

"Yes," he murmured, closing his eyes for a brief second. "The classes here are hard. I don't like it." He pouted and stayed there for a second longer, liking the feeling of her stroking his hair, how comfortable he felt there, her own hair tickling his nose, before he sat up. "Hey! Don't punch me! That would hurt! Besides, I'm just telling it like it is." He grinned playfully, though allowed it to fade a little upon her next comment. "You okay?"

"Yeah, they are hard...Now I wish we could go back to Mystal and be kids again." Preslea sighed and looked at the ground. She missed her big dorm that Mal also snuck into so they could hang out after lights out. "Oh yeah, just telling it like it is!" She laughed and laid her head in his lap. "Yeah, I'm okay. I could be better though." She whimpered and looked up at him.

"I agree. I don't recall signing up for this whole grow-up-and-be-a-responsible-contributing-member-of-society thing." But even despite his dislike for this place, he couldn't help but smile a little bit. "But hey, it could be worse. At least we know now that we're not alone here." He pet her hair as she laid her head in his lap and frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern crossing his face.

"Nothing." She said tears forming in her hazel eyes. "I'm not doing very well with the whole transition.." she said as tears when down her face.

"Hey, it'll be okay." He gave her a reassuring smile, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "It's hard, but at least neither of us have to do it alone anymore, right? I'll be here the whole time. Promise." He held out his pinky to solidify the promise in the best way he knew -- a pinky swear.

Preslea locked her pinky into his and sat up. "Pinky promise." She put her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Mal, have you ever loved someone?" Pres asked curiously.

Mal grinned, holding onto her pinky for a second longer before letting go and meeting her eyes. The question had come as a surprise to him, and it showed in his eyes. He looked away, down at his hands, and rubbed the back of his neck, and awkward habit of his. "Yeah," he finally said, meeting her eyes once again. "Yeah, I think so. You?"

Preslea nodded and smiled softly. "Yeah, once.." She whispered and looked up at him with bright eyes.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, looking down at his hands. Love was one of those things that confused him. He knew what it was, but he didn't know how it felt, or how to know that he felt it. He'd had his suspicions, but had no way of being sure. He soon looked up and broke the silence. "What does it feel like?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"It feels like fireworks going off inside of you. Its an amazing feeling that you become addicted to. Its so beautiful and crazy. Love is indescribable." she whispered, glancing up at him.

Mal thought for a second, then nodded. "Then yeah, I've felt it. I think I still feel it." Mal was the type of person that had a habit of jumping into the things head first without any thought on the matter, but when it came to this whole "love" thing, he couldn't help but hesitate. He'd known Preslea for years now, and he was sure that the way he felt about her was real, and yet try as he did he couldn't get the words out. Because this was not one of those things where he alone faced the consequences if he screwed up, and that made him nervous.

Preslea nodded and rubbed his back, something she always did to him. "Yeah, you can feel it towards people and certain things." She smiled and looked up at him. Preslea had always really loved him because he made her feel like everything was fine. He made her feel loved even though he probably didn't love her like she did him. She swallowed hard and looked down, staying quiet.

He smiled, liking the way she described love, like something in a book. "So, did you ever tell the lucky guy how you felt?" he asked after a pause, genuinely curious. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of whoever had won her affections but he pushed it away as best he could. Playfully, he nudged her shoulder, wondering what was wrong that made her go so quiet.

"No...because I always thought he loved someone else. I was too much of a friend for him to ever make a move." Preslea muttered and looked over at him. She bit her lip and nodded. "Mal, it was always you.."

It took a moment for her words to actual sink in, and at first all he said was a half-hearted, "Oh." Then, as the realization hit, he repeated himself, with a lot more surprise. "Oh!" He stared at her in surprise, wondering if she was joking. "Wait, really?"

"Yeaaaah." She nodded softly and smiled weakly. "Yes Mal...Always."