Ketterdam University Pt 1
A Nikolai Lantsov fanfic
This is going to be the first in a series of modern au stories about the grishaverse characters! I'm also going to be running the official "Ketterdam University" school blog soon!
Nikolai Lantsov, typical rich boy and the most sought after guy in London strode into Ketterdam University for the first time since last may. It was the beginning of his Junior semester and he couldn’t be more thrilled to be back. Last summer was so boring that it was almost cruel. He had been stuck behind a desk all year, writing reports and answering phone calls for his family’s successful business. His parents owned the wealthiest company in the world, and because of that, Nikolai had grown up never wanting for anything. He was so spoiled that some people referred to him as a prince.
Of course, it was only ever as a compliment, since Nikolai Lantsov certainly didn’t make enemies. Sure, he wasn’t best friends with everyone, but he didn’t have time for that. He had to pick and choose which people he spent his precious time with, and this year, time was a luxury he could only dream of having.
Nikolai was in his third year at the most prestigious university in the world. Despite the fact that he hated working for his father’s business, the legacy he would be left with was important to him. Therefore, when it had come the time to make a decision on his career, he had settled on business and communications. What he planned to do with it, however, wasn’t what his family would think. He wanted to change the way the company was run once it was handed to him. No one would say the Lantsov business was boring ever again. He was going to bring the company overseas and expand it to the far reaches of the world. But before any of that, he was going to get rid of their terrible logo and aesthetic. Seriously! What’s appealing about a crown?
“Oh my gosh it’s Nikolai Lantsov!” A giggly voice interrupted his planning. Nikolai looked to the other side of the school grounds, where three girls were pointing at him and grinning like a bunch of lovesick fools. A rush of adrenaline ran through him at their attention. If there was one thing Nikolai loved, it was being the center of attention. The lucky people he had chosen as his friends told him it was called having an ego, but Nikolai knew it was just self confidence. After all, weren’t all people supposed to love themselves? He was only following this simple command. And anyways, it was common knowledge that he was the most gorgeous student in the school, so he might as well embrace it.
“He looks hotter than he did last year!” One of the other girls commented, and Nikolai smirked. Deciding to excite them, he waved, winking when he caught the eye of the first girl who had spoken.
“Hey ladies!” He catcalled. “Welcome back!” That was obviously the icing on the cake, because the girl he had winked at collapsed into her friend's waiting arms. He laughed to himself. It was no wonder so many girls had their eyes on him, but even though his parents insisted that he should find a suitable bride sooner than later, he had no intention of doing it. They would have to be quite the woman, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to put himself out there again. He had been in love during his freshman year at the university, but he and Alina Starkov were never going to work out. They were best friends now, but there were times when he wondered what things would have been like if she had said yes.
But there was no use dwelling on the past… not when the future was waiting for him. He had so many expectations for this year, but right now, all he wanted to do was find his friends and spend his first day partying with them. They had barely seen each other over the summer due to their separate living situations. Thank goodness for things like FaceTime, because they had to have talked on the phone almost every night. But it still wasn’t the same as seeing them in person.
A newfound determination to see his friends burning inside of him, Nikolai broke into a jog as he made his way across campus. Nikolai was an athlete, and that was another reason he was glad to be back. He was the captain of the track team and a key player in the football team. When he wasn’t studying or partying with his friends he was working out so that he could uphold his reputation as the star athlete. The only rival to his physical prowess was Tolya Yul-Bataar. Tolya and him had been friends since they were little, and they had been on the same basketball team in high school. But where Nikolai obviously excelled in track, Tolya was the star of the show in football. Maybe this year I’ll show him who’s king of the field. Snickering to himself, Nikolai added “best Tolya in football” to his mental list of things to do this year.
“Watch where you’re going, idiot!” The angry tone of voice caused Nikolai to stop in his tracks. No one got angry at him… ever. Annoyed, maybe, but it was a well known fact that all of Ketterdam University loved him. He glanced at whoever was upset, and he was astonished to see a bigger girl with a red v-neck shirt and semi fancy black skirt glaring at him. Next to her was a much smaller suli girl with piercing eyes who was rolling her eyes at the other girl. The bigger girl turned to her friend, who spoke before Nikolai could say anything.
“It’s fine, Nina. he’s obviously in a hurry.” She locked eyes with Nikolai and gave him a warm smile. “I’m sorry about her. She doesn’t know when to stop.”
“I hate you.” The bigger girl glowered, but Nikolai knew sarcasm more than anyone, and he knew that the two of them didn't mean what they were saying.
“If you hate me then don’t expect free waffles from the cafe anymore.” The two girls began to chatter about something related to whatever cafe the smaller girl had mentioned, and Nikolai knew it was his cue to leave. They weren’t fawning over him, and he had promised to meet his friends outside of the dorm building in five minutes. He was already on the path to being late, and he refused to give them a reason to make fun of him.
With this newfound determination set in his head, Nikolai practically sprinted to the dorm building. A smile broke out on his face when he saw all of his friends gathered there. Alina Starkov was sitting down on the grass, her head resting on her boyfriend’s lap. Malyen Oretsev was smiling at his girlfriend as he ran his hands through her white hair. Tolya and Tamar, Nikolai’s two oldest friends, were currently in the middle of an arm wrestling match that was being observed by David Kostyk. Genya Safin and Zoya Nazyalensky, both of whom had worked for his family business over the summer, were in the middle of an animated conversation about who knew what.
When no one noticed that he was there, Nikolai made the decision to let his presence be known. He cleared his throat, his signature smirk written on his face. “Now that I’m here, the party can really begin.”
Mal was the first to respond, and Nikolai shook his head at the exasperation on his friend’s face. “You’re late. The party started hours ago.”
“I’m never late, Mal… everyone else is simply early.”
“Are you quoting the princess diaries again?” A look of amusement crossed Zoya’s face as she walked over to him. “You’re such a dork.”
“I have many names, but I wasn’t aware that dork was one of them.”
Zoya rolled her eyes, but there was a warmth in her eyes that Nikolai realized he had missed seeing. They had seen each other a few times over the summer, along with Genya, but without the rest of their friend group, it hadn’t been the same. All of them had been through quite a bit of trauma a few years ago, and the bond they had made during that time was unbreakable. Being separated for a long time, even if it was over summer break, was still hard. Nikolai truly hadn’t realized how much he had missed them until now, seeing all of their smiling faces.
“Believe me, your majesty.” Zoya mocked him with a fake bow, her blue eyes full of that familiar spark. “There are plenty more names I have for you.”
“Do they include sweetheart or handsome? Because if that’s the case, I would love for you to write me a list.”
“Darling, you would detest every single one of them.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure about that.” Nikolai’s hazel eyes were sparkling, and he could feel the familiar spark of adrenaline run through him. “Darling wasn’t so bad.”
“Wasn’t it?” Zoya’s brow flew into the air, but before she could say another word, Tamar broke the silence.
“You two flirt way too much for your own good.” She commented, and Nikolai and Zoya exchanged a look. Zoya was different from the rest of them. She was cool and harsh around the edges, but when she was around her friends she was a completely new person. She thrived off of Nikolai’s sarcasm, and he had to admit that a part of him thrived off of hers. She was either a terrible or a great influence on him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever find out which one it was.
“Come on,” Nikolai’s eyes twinkled again. “You know you love it.”
“We actually hate it, but whatever you say boss.” Tolya’s comment earned a sharp glare from Alina, who instantly stepped away from her boyfriend to face him.
“You can’t say stuff like that! It gets to his head!”
“I do have a big head!”
Alina turned to face Nikolai, unable to keep the grin off of her face. “I know. And how many times is that head of yours going to get you in trouble this year?”
“Me? In trouble?” Nikolai winked at his best friend. “Come on… we all know I’m a perfect angel.”
Alina scoffed, shaking her head sarcastically. “That’s impossible.”
“You know, when people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Nikolai laughed, his loud voice echoing throughout the school grounds. “Not at all.”
