Lab parter, Bio major!nerdjo and STEM major!reader pairing!!
You had been dreading it since winter break: your organic chemistry lab. Not just your ochem lab, but your ochem night lab. Don't kid yourself, you did fine enough in your chemistry classes and got the jist of your labs well enough to get good scores, but the uncertainty of who you'd be working with all semester killed you. Your partner would literally make or break your lab time and experience. What if they never wore their gloves? Never prepped their notebook or notes ahead of time? What if they contaminated the whole experiment 2 hours in and you had to throw your notes away and start over at almost 8:30pm!?!
Little did you know, you would be very lucky this semester.
At the scheduled start time, your placement was the only bench placement without two people. And how you dreaded having to go through the semester without a second se of hands or eyes. The thought of that alone was almost worse than someone who was flat out incompetent.
Ten minutes after start time, the hustle of the lab is interrupted with the opening of the main door and your eye catches onto a head of strikingly white hair, thick black frames, and probably the most unorganized guy you've had the displeasure of seeing in passing on your campus. After a brief scolding from your TA, he finds his spot and his locker-- right next to you.
"Only three steps in? You can cut the time in half by prepping the second trial while the first one heats you know." The mystery boy speaks, not once looking at you while prepping his glassware and goggles.
"Only ten minutes late? You would've been much more helpful if you'd stumbled in here on time you know." You throw back, rolling your eyes while keeping a keen eye on your hot plate.
"I was doing some pretty important stuff, okay?" Your labmate shot back.
"Gojo, by the way."
"What?" You ask, confused and a little annoyed as to what he was correcting you on.
"My name. It's Gojo."
Oh.
You introduced yourself and explained how far you'd gotten in the experiment, shared your notes, and soon settled into a smooth rhythm of checking progress of your experiments, writing lab notes and procedures, and cleaning up after yourselves.
The lulls were awkward. Waiting for a solution to heat for transfer or sit to come back to temperature or (heaven forbid) wait for your prepared solution to filter properly. You had both shot glances back and forth during the entirety of the 2 hours you were stuck together, neither of you quite knowing how to strike up a proper or productive conversation. And so, you both stood around your bench or fume hood scribbling notes, checking flasks, and readjusting your goggles.
Finally, you finished the procedure (albeit much faster with Gojo than without) you both packed your glassware into the appropriate lockers, finished writing procedures and notes, and turned in the appropriate paperwork to leave.
Sooner than later, you breathed in the fresh(er) air of the chemistry hallway. You could feel the imprint of your goggles and the weight of being so intensely focused for so long weighing on you when you heard your name called from behind you. You turn to see Gojo, hastily shoving his mauals in his bag while speedwalking down the hall towards you, glasses sitting low on the end of his nose.
"I just, uhm, wanted to apologize for being late today. I really hadn't planned on it and, yknow, I'm actually early to classes but my roommate got locked out of our room so i had to go let him in and then my brother needed my help over at his place and--"
"Hey, it's fine. I really didn't get much started and you didn't miss anything. It's cool, I promise" You cut him off. He seemed so quiet and stand-offish in lab, you hadn't expect him to have a rambling issue.
"Where are you heading?" You've reached the side stairwell at this point, he opens the door and holds it for you to cross through.
"Just my dorm, I live in Morton. You?"
"Oh! I live in Beeter, care if I walk with you?" He seemed enthusiastic. You hesitantly accept, unsure if you were willing to let your relationship be more than lab acquaintances. What was the worst that could happen, you gain a lab partner and post-lab walking buddy?
As you make your way to the dorms, you chat about classes, extracurriculars, hobbies, likes and dislikes, your majors and classes, career aspirations, and all the general fun college small talk. Time felt like it barely moved before he had walked you to the front steps of your dorm. You both stood there, a little awkwardly, waiting for the other to break the newly-formed silence first.
"Well, uhm, i-it was great to meet you." Gojo said warmly, if not a little shy. Despite the annoyed initial impression, you were really warming up to being his lab parter, and maybe friends if time (or your feelings) allowed. You'd have to let him make the first move on that--
"Late dinner next week?" He spoke up as you turned to walk into your dorm.
"What?" You weren't sure if you'd heard him correctly. Was he already asking you to hang out again??
"Oh, uhm, dinner? Or just a snack after lab next week? I just thought, yknow since we got out kinda late tonight and- no offense- I heard your stomach growling during the last fifteen minutes of lab and I really liked talking with you tonight and-"
"Yes," you cut him off mid-ramble. "Post-lab snack sounds great for next week." You replied, a little red in the face. You weren't sure if it was from the onset chill of the night or that maybe, just maybe, you were really starting to like your lab partner.
a/n: sooooo part 2?? I have literally been writing this for the past 3ish months school has been kicking my ass if you couldn't tell. This probably came out a little shorter than initially intended so the end may read rushed but again, I've been working on this since late January at best and I feel bad about not posting. i may update this of my own accord anyway but if anyone particularly likes this, I wouldn't be opposed to requests for it!! Take care of yourselves!!