Lalli Hotakainen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
silentscout) wrote2022-11-21 08:27 am
silentscout) wrote2022-11-21 08:27 am
Another college AU PSL
['It will be fun', they had said. 'You'll get to stay with Tuuri,' they had said. 'You can pick anything you want to study,' they had said. And somehow, somehow, Lalli had fallen for all of their trickery. He had signed up for college, practiced just enough English that he felt confident in mono-syllabic answers to questions, and had taken that two-hour car ride with Tuuri from their hometown to the place they would be studying for the next year.
It's nothing like Lalli has been promised though. For starters, he doesn't get to live with Tuuri. She's a sophmore and has the option of co-ed living, but as a freshman Lalli has to live in these tiny dorms and share a space with a stranger. 'Next year,' Tuuri had promised hastily when that particular bombshell had dropped, 'and you can come stay at my apartment whenever you want.' It doesn't fully fix the problem though, and it leaves Lalli feeling annoyed.
Then there's the matter of 'general education requirements'. Even though Lalli had picked botany as a major, he suddenly has to take English and math and art too? What's all of this nonsense?!
Suffice to say, Lalli is not having fun. He's slightly on the older side for an incoming freshman- 19, turning 20 next April- but still within the age range of everyone here. He logically knows he should be making friends and having fun and building his future. But he's just...not. He's never been good at any of that. He's different, he's always known he's different, and being hundreds of miles away from home just makes him more aware of how different he is.
It's early October when Lalli, on one Thursday evening, wanders over to the Engineering building. He had been to Tuuri's apartment first, but Tuuri hadn't been home and her roommate wasn't thrilled to host Lalli without Tuuri around to 'manage him'. So, of course, that meant going looking for her again. It's lucky he thought to wear his hoodie today, it will keep him warm while he walks around in the cold fall air.
He doesn't find her in her usual lab, though. What he finds instead is a partially-built computer and nobody else around. Curiosity piqued, Lalli goes over to investigate. Engineering projects usually aren't just a computer, or so he's noticed, is this the start of something else? Maybe if he just flips this switch here the screen will wake up and he can see what it is-
Oh. Oh that's a pop. And a sizzle. Lalli quickly pulls his hand away and looks around frantically, trying to see if anyone else saw him break this sensitive equipment.
There is now a small trail of smoke coming from it too. Hm.]
It's nothing like Lalli has been promised though. For starters, he doesn't get to live with Tuuri. She's a sophmore and has the option of co-ed living, but as a freshman Lalli has to live in these tiny dorms and share a space with a stranger. 'Next year,' Tuuri had promised hastily when that particular bombshell had dropped, 'and you can come stay at my apartment whenever you want.' It doesn't fully fix the problem though, and it leaves Lalli feeling annoyed.
Then there's the matter of 'general education requirements'. Even though Lalli had picked botany as a major, he suddenly has to take English and math and art too? What's all of this nonsense?!
Suffice to say, Lalli is not having fun. He's slightly on the older side for an incoming freshman- 19, turning 20 next April- but still within the age range of everyone here. He logically knows he should be making friends and having fun and building his future. But he's just...not. He's never been good at any of that. He's different, he's always known he's different, and being hundreds of miles away from home just makes him more aware of how different he is.
It's early October when Lalli, on one Thursday evening, wanders over to the Engineering building. He had been to Tuuri's apartment first, but Tuuri hadn't been home and her roommate wasn't thrilled to host Lalli without Tuuri around to 'manage him'. So, of course, that meant going looking for her again. It's lucky he thought to wear his hoodie today, it will keep him warm while he walks around in the cold fall air.
He doesn't find her in her usual lab, though. What he finds instead is a partially-built computer and nobody else around. Curiosity piqued, Lalli goes over to investigate. Engineering projects usually aren't just a computer, or so he's noticed, is this the start of something else? Maybe if he just flips this switch here the screen will wake up and he can see what it is-
Oh. Oh that's a pop. And a sizzle. Lalli quickly pulls his hand away and looks around frantically, trying to see if anyone else saw him break this sensitive equipment.
There is now a small trail of smoke coming from it too. Hm.]
no subject
But then he notices the gloves, and he'll scoot over juuuust slightly, so he's a little further away from the busted computer. Like it's going to blow up or something.]
It's dangerous?
[This question is because of the gloves.]
no subject
[
for his own project? sure. it'd be his own fault. not like it'd be a terrible burn if he managed that with a solder, but he sure would judge himself for it. ]
no subject
[He may have been on the receiving end of several lectures into why it's important to keep his eyes and skin protected in certain situations. Not that he listened- it was much easier to do stuff without gloves on- but working with liquid metal seems like a good time to actually listen to Tuuri's lectures.]
...so you would burn yourself on your own project.
[He totally caught the implication at the end there though.]