The Rise of the Brave (college AU Hiro x reader x Varian)

CH2 - Friendship is magic, or was that kool-aid?

(A/N - Okay, I guess I lied. I'm posting this chapter bc y'all have waited long enough. After that I'll finish the drawings and start posting weekly. until then, enjoy~!)

Earbuds in, you strode into the San Fransokyo aquarium. Your mind was still on your surprise meeting with Hiro, so you didn't notice when your friends came into the backroom. You peacefully put your things in your locker (staff at the aquarium had access to a backroom where they could put their personal devices and such) and hummed along to the music playing in your ears as you did so. Your two mischievous friends merely needed to look at each other to silently hatch a plan.

Two figures stealthily appeared on either side of you as you were in your own little world. They crept their hands towards your earbuds in unison, slowly, ever so slowly, until..

"(Y/N)!!"

They shouted in unison as they ripped your earbuds out. "AGHHH!" you shouted as you reflexively assumed a defensive stance, only to realize it was your idiot friends giving you a heart attack.

You relaxed your posture, but not your heart rate, sadly. "What the hell guys? Are you trying to kill me so early in the morning?!" You asked, catching your breath and slowly evening out your rapidly beating heart.

"Listen hun, if you're going to be such an easy target, you're going to have to bear with the consequences" Your friend on the left, Gratuity, "Tip" Tucci, started, crossing her arms and laughing as she did so.

"Yeah, it's only payback for last week's jello packet incident." Miguel Rivera, your friend on the right said smugly.

Last week after work you may or may not have lured them into the backroom/locker room you were in now, and you may or may not have thrown packets of jello powder at them. Which may or may not have exploded everywhere and covered the two of them in colorful sugary weirdness, and it may or may not have been super rough to wash out of clothes and hair. But this is, of course all hypothetical, and totally not something that happened because, if it did happen, it could be considered unprofessional. And you were nothing but professional.

Regardless, this was tame in comparison. But totally uncalled for.

"Aren't I already paying for that? I agreed to preview your band's entire setlist before Battle of the Bands, and I promised to give you legitimate criticism on top of it. Isn't that suffering enough?" You joked.

Tip and Miguel were both students, so they had a little more time on their hands than a working adult like you, in your humble opinion. You didn't think you had time for much outside of your job at the aquarium and your..... "Night Job." So checking out your friend's band, though they were probably amazing and it would be a fun experience, will be of a huge cost of your valuable and already rare sleep time.

"Excuuuuse me?" Tip asked, "It. is. An. HONOR to be able to hear Rise of The Brave before our big debut!"

Tip was a Marine biology major at SFIT working on creating more efficient marine submersibles based on fish anatomy. She was doing an internship at the aquarium to get some perspective for designs. Miguel was an Art History and Music dual major at SFAI, and he saw an open internship here. He just thought it looked like a cool opportunity. He and Tip already knew each other from their band, and you were all close in age (You being the oldest by a year or so), so your group got along just swimmingly (pun intended). You all hung out when you had free time here and there.

You threw your hands to the air in defeat "Alright, alright, simmer down." You started "If you bring that attitude with you when we dive, you're gonna scare the fish!" You joked as you started to walk out the door of the backroom, ducking to evade a well-aimed swipe from Tip aimed at your head.