Exams were never Akali’s best skill due to focusing and completely understanding the topic. No matter how much Evelynn would try to teach her it would end up as a complete teasing session that ended with cuddling and falling asleep in each other's arms.
She was alone in her room due to Evelynn being at the store and getting Akali her own comfort food since Evelynn’s exam scores for her classes were practically golden despite having yet to take them.
Akali was glad she was mentally healthy considering all that happened at that shitty ball they crashed.
Her thoughts instantaneously wandered to the very same night that made them official and solved a family issue all in one.
To Akali it sounded like an absolute win no matter how things had played out in the first place, Evelynn got what she wanted which was all that mattered in the end.
Akali got who she wanted which was better than nothing at all.
“Why the hell is that dumb sodium-filled ramen so expensive?! Fuck that cheap trash. I bought something better.” Evelynn closed the door behind her and tossed away her jacket onto the sofa.
Akali giggled while rolling her eyes playfully.
She sat up and closed her textbook, eager to welcome her girlfriend back while running out of the room and hugging the magenta-haired beauty from behind with a large smile.
“Welcome back, dear.” Akali was met with a kiss on her forehead.
“Thank you.” Evelynn smiled softly and continued to set up what she’d collected and hummed softly, amber eyes glancing back at the now relaxed female.
“Hard at work?” She asked the smaller girl while grabbing a large bowl.
Akali nodded and pulled away, swaying her hips as her hands were behind her back. She’d looked exhausted from all the hours of going through her textbooks and rereading notes.
Evelynn reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box of candy cigarettes.
“Huh?” Akali tilted her head as she watched Eve place the stick against her tongue and make a fake lighting motion.
“Just candy to hold me down.”
The former street artist huffed.
“My lips could do that too but you’re quite busy.”
A small snicker formed across her lips, eyes flickering with amusement as she took the small candy out of her mouth and tossed it into the trash can before turning and licking her lips.
“Then prove it, Rogue.” She taunted playfully, knowing Akali needed a break from all of her studying.
Never once had she seen her girlfriend work this hard, it had honestly impressed her to an extent.
Akali stood higher and brushed a thumb against the Diva’s cheek before pulling her into a warm kiss, Evelynn wrapping her arms around the singer without hesitation.
Her nails dug into the brunette’s back as she pulled her closer, pinning the females back to the table and making sure to avoid anything she’d sat out.
Arms wrapping around Evelynn’s neck, Akali gave in happily before breaking for air as the siren's lips connected with the rapper’s neck while she desperately hid a moan before composing herself.
Her face covered in a bright red blush, taking a deep breath before being able to speak.
“Not right now, We’ve got lunch to make and you have to help me with exams just like when we first met.”
“Those usually ended up with cuddling, as proud as I am of you since we first met here. You need rest and relaxation.”
Akali attempted to protest but was lifted up and placed on the couch in the nearby room all while making sure not to even try going back to her room and grab a textbook or her laptop despite how a wave of exhaustion was sent through her body after their interaction and finally laying down after hours of working.
Evelynn peeked to glimpse at her girlfriend who was now watching anime with a blanket wrapped around her body, snuggled deep into the soft fabric.
Smiling softly, she shuffled back to the kitchen to prepare the large bowl of ramen that felt as if it would take decades to make.
“Oh, I also want a scrambled egg this time!” She’d called out with a happy grin and continued to stare at the screen as she only heard a relaxed sigh in reply which meant the magenta-haired female didn't mind at all.
Calmly, Evelynn filled a pot with water and set it on the stove, turning a dial and watching small flames engulf the exterior before setting down the cutting board and twirling a knife in her hand with a sigh.
In only half an hour she’d made the noodles by hand, her face filled with slight disgust at the batter-like substance under her nails and how much it would cling to her skin since she wasn’t exactly a natural at cooking such authentic delicacies for Akali.
Carefully dumping the noodles into the now boiling broth mixture created while forming the noodles themselves Evelynn then turned herself back towards the cutting board.
While grasping a knife gently, Evelynn quickly diced jalapenos and a small number of vegetables and cracked an egg against the hot skillet at the stove.
Hearing anime come from nearby meant Akali was enjoying herself, it put her mind at ease while going to work in the small yet vast kitchen.
After all, things were finished, the Diva had admired her work as two bowls of ramen were now present on a tray with a pot of tea and two cups to go along with it.
“Not bad.” She mumbled to herself before flinching after spacing out.
Her mind had wandered back to her old life as it had felt like her mother’s invisible hand had latched itself onto her wrist.
“Cook for your mother while she drinks alone tonight.”
“But I just want to play-”
“Silence!!”
Evelynn let out a shaky sigh, holding her wrist and taking deep breaths to control herself. She’d finally rid herself of that small nightmare.
Upon finally remaining calm she carried the tray into where Akali was to only find her sleeping happily on the couch.
Akali was curled up against a pillow with a large oversized blanket covering up to her shoulders as she was face-first to the pillow, her large ponytail was undone since Akali must have had a headache with how tight it was.
Setting the tray down, Evelynn sat down and got into the blanket with her lover who was engulfed in comfort knowing that her girlfriend was nearby as she slept happily
"Darling, lunch is ready." She whispered into the brunette's ear, giving her a soft nudge to hopefully wake her up.
"Mmm, five more minutes babe. Pleaseeee." Akali whined while laying back against Eve's chest.
"I made ramen." Evelynn hummed softly as she watched Akali instantly bolted up and discarded the sheets while her eyes constantly scanned the room.
"WHERE?!" She yelled before locking eyes on the coffee table had the tray and collection of what Evelynn had made, her mouth was watering happily.
“You were out for about longer than an hour, I even debated on looking up Dango recipes for you to enjoy for desserts if I’m in the mood or have enough energy.”
Akali sat back down before laying her head back with a relaxed sigh as this is what she’d needed.
“Think we can hit a pool after all of this?” Akali asked, hoping to get Eve a way to relax as well despite all she’s done for Akali today.
Evelynn smiled slightly, snatching the remote and turning on a different anime.
“Eat, we’ll talk once you have a full stomach and are completely relaxed,” Evelynn advised while sipping a cup of tea she’d made before bringing everything in.
“Thank you, I really needed this.” Akali cooed while grabbing the bowl and opening the pair of chopsticks.
The scent it gave off was amazing to her and soothed her soul as she was at almost complete peace with her lover and favorite comfort food.
“Anything for you, Darling,” Evelynn commented as Akali slurped on noodles happily, careful to not make a mess in front of the Diva.
Akali began chugging the broth, ignoring the burning sensation in her mouth as she let out a happy sigh upon setting the bowl down and leaning back against Evelynn’s chest.
Her eyes gazed at the stress-ridden female who was unconsciously placing her hand on Akali’s head.
“I think we should do something during the break and after our goodbye party for those two.” Akali whispered, taking in the feeling of Evelynn’s hand on her head with a smile.
“You aren’t on the list so why am I interested?” Evelynn said with a small snicker.
Akali blushed brightly, a whine in return before huffing and cuddling further into her lover’s chest.
“I meant like a date, dummy. Not crashing events, No bars. Just us together for the night so we can relax and have fun.”
“So you mean a day that’s actually normal and doesn’t involve me smoking, getting into a bar fight, being an asshole, and only loving you even more throughout a day together? Then yes.”
Turning the TV off, Akali looked up as her eyes shone with excitement.
“You really mean it?”
Silence was the only thing that came next before Evelynn calmly cleared her throat while thoughts ran through her head and knew she’d keep the promise if she said yes but the idea of cigarettes after the past floating in her mind felt almost too strong even with her real desire.
Her desire? That's right, Evelynn loved Akali because of how she let her heart melt from its ice shell and become warmer until she was strong-minded once more. She felt happy, she felt loved and graciously wanted to return that love tenfold.
Eve slowly ran her hand across the other female’s cheek as they both remained silent, the diva staring into the pleading orbs of the very female who was like a small yet gentle animal in her arms.
“Yes, let's just try something different from the mall as we tried before. I wanna get creative.”
“So you really are the romantic type?” Akali pressed, Smiling from ear to ear and poking her lover's nose.
“I guess you could say that.” Evelynn rolled her amber eyes playfully before pulling Akali into a swift kiss, cupping her cheeks with her hands as her fingernails dug into her cheeks in an almost claiming manner.
Breaking for air, Akali lowered her head in embarrassment while Evelynn sneered happily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Is it really exam day?” Akali groaned while in Evelynn’s bed after she’d attempted to cram studying into her nighttime schedule. All of this wasn’t just to pass and graduate with her girlfriend, it was for Evelynn’s praise in her efforts.
Both were in bed, side by side. Evelynn herself had an arm over her eyes as she gave no verbal response.
Evelynn groaned softly, She’d gotten no sleep from the paranoia radiating from her girlfriend all night from tossing and turning to get into her bed without warning which genuinely scared her for a moment before Akali collapsed into the sheets due to exhaustion and then only left Evelynn to comfort and take care of her.
“Yes, yes it is. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Evelynn lifted the sheets off of herself and placed a hand on her lover’s head, watching Akali groggily open her eyes as they locked hands together.
“How long did I keep you up last night?” Akali mumbled.
“I don’t know, I’ll make up lost sleep during the time I get while I'm done with my own exams,” Evelynn said before pulling away and getting out of the bed.
Shivering at the cold flooring, Evelynn stretched with a yawn as she knew they had to get ready for the inevitable. To her, that was Akali’s anxiety probably spiking and her having a huge fear of being separated for a bit and surrounded by people they didn't know.
“You go ahead and shower first Darling. I’ll make the bed and try preparing us something for the day.”
Akali rolled out of bed and went through the wardrobe, tossing her jacket onto the bed and collecting a few pieces of clothing.
Once done she soon disappeared to the bathroom and left Evelynn alone.
Amber eyes scanned the room while making her bed, glancing at her nightstand with a lamp and an empty coffee mug.
Gulping hard, Evelynn opened the small storage space for the nightstand as her eyes met an empty interior before she used her nails to drag out what was a false bottom.
Several packs of cigarettes were hidden underneath, her hand reaching to grasp a pack before slapping her own hand away.
Evelynn was mentally beating herself up to an extreme due to her actions, setting everything back to normal before slapping her cheeks a few times.
“What the fuck is wrong with me?” She mumbled to herself, falling onto one knee as she grits her teeth tightly. This wasn't right, nor should she even look at those damn things again.
Shaking her head, The Diva slowly rose from her position.
The energy from her body was now different, wide awake yet a soft dread in the air that lingered which only made her feel mentally cold. Akali wasn't even to blame at all, she was simply mad at herself.
“Time to make breakfast, I guess.” She said with a yawn, clenching her fist while making her way to the small kitchen.in hopes of making something to please Akali’s nerves which were in turmoil due to stress and all the work she’d been doing.
After quickly cooking, Evelynn was able to make two small omelets for them both.
“Finished!” Eve called out as Akali bolted out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and a brush in her hand.
Akali sat at the table, clapping her hands happily as her foot tapped the floor anxiously. She didn’t care that she was lacking clothing when she could get dressed right after she’d finish eating.
Kissing her girlfriend's cheek, Evelynn hurried to go shower. Her mind already decided to skip breakfast as exams didn’t matter much to her and all she’d have to do is sleep after finishing.
Behind the closed door, Evelynn looked at herself in the mirror near the sink and tossed away her clothing.
After the quick shower, she’d gotten dressed in the most comfortable clothing in her wardrobe.
Grey sweatpants and a loose, purple sweater with long and lacy sleeves.
Akali was dressed up in a denim jacket, tank top, and jeans with a small pin on the pocket of her jacket, hair let loose and forming a happy smile on her face.
“All ready to go after that quick breakfast I cooked up?” Evelynn asked, while in the shower she’d controlled her sudden craving for cigarettes and managed to keep a smile on her face with her girlfriend's hand in her own.
“Yup, I’m all full and ready to finish this dumb exam now. Even if I barely pass with all the work I’ve been doing.”
Evelynn snickered and flicked her forehead.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine, exams are easy compared to the studying you did. Besides, I believe in you more than anyone else does.” The diva said with a soft smile.
“Yeah, you’re right. If I pass this then I get to spend my break with you for the year.”
A small smile formed across Akali’s lips as she’d opened the door and skipped out, confidence radiating from her body without a care in the world.
Putting her hands in her pockets, Evelynn rolled her eyes playfully and continued walking through the halls behind her lover.
Once this was all over, it meant they were free to do as they pleased, maybe even live together if need be as Evelynn didn’t exactly have a family to go back to after school.
That was also a question lingering in Evelynn’s head.
What was Akali’s family like?
No, that didn’t matter yet. Not until they were both out of here and needed to figure out how their lives will go.
“You look troubled,” Akali called out from the bottom of the staircase, snapping Evelynn out of her thoughts completely.
“Maybe I should be the one worried about you today!” She said with a grin, twirling around.
Eve shook her head with a small laugh, taking a few steps downward before nudging against Akali.
“I’m just thinking about some of the stuff I’ll have to do to distract myself while waiting for you to finish since I’ll finish first.”
“If that’s a challenge then I happily accept.” The smaller girl retorted before getting her thick hair ruffled, her heart was pounding happily.
“Nope, I’m not making you fail.”
“But I wanna see you as quickly as possible.” Akali whined as they continued walking through the campus and parted ways with a sweet kiss while the magenta-haired female had slid a small slip of paper into Akali’s pocket.
The exam hall was crammed with pairs of male and female students who were either on edge, using their phone or studying which only made Akali’s heart sink.
Inhaling sharply, she sat down at her designated seat and leaned back, her mind was all over the place as she tried remembering any of what she studied the night prior.
In a few minutes, the class was settled down and completely arranged with several papers in front of each student.
“You may now begin!” The proctor shouted before sitting down.
Akali slid her hands in her pockets in an attempt to relax and soon felt her heart skip a beat once her fingertips came in contact with a small slip of paper.
After glancing around the room, Akali slid it out of her pocket and quickly unfolded it while it sat in her lap.
“I’m not going to help you cheat on this whole thing of course, but I am proud of all the time and effort you put into this. Your little Manga artist told me all about how you planned on skipping tons of sessions just to hit the books. I may not be able to do anything while you’re several rooms away, but I love you. All that matters is that you do your best, if you pass or don’t, we’re still gonna live together. I can promise you that. - Love, your dumb Diva.” She whispered while tracing her fingers along the lines with a happy smile.
Taking a deep breath, she folded the paper up and placed it back into her pocket, and lifted her pencil.
‘I can do this!’ She thought to herself before opening the packet of problems.
Twirling the thin pencil in her hand and scanning the page, Akali had begun to mark down a few different things such as a shortened formula while still trying to not get overwhelmed by simply the first page.
Scribbling into the bubble sheet, Akali’s shoulders relaxed as she continued to read through the assortment of questions.
She tapped her pencil on the desk repeatedly in rhythm with her foot hitting the floor due to a slight anxiety spike, she was wondering how Eve was doing and how fast she could get the hell out just for their official break to begin.
Too many thoughts are what was making this harder on her than it had to be, her attention span was weakening due to the boredom of a silent room and wished she could pull out her phone and use music to relax but kept working.
“Dammit.” She mumbled to herself, laying her head down as the minutes of silence passed.
Akali had studied for hours upon hours but even when it came to math, it was her worst subject to go through despite the music classes she was interested in for next semester.
“Once this is all over, I’m taking her out and we’re having the time of our lives.” Akali whispered while continuing to scribble down a math problem, frustrated by the fact she didn’t have calculator access until a certain portion.
30 minutes in and she was only halfway done and still getting worse, her anxious thoughts of failing and being forced to repeat everything sent a shiver down her spine and made her blood run cold.
She found happiness here with Evelynn and didn’t like the idea of losing that in the slightest, the best thing she could do for now was at least do her best if she couldn’t remember much after all the effort she put into everything.
The ramen-loving female took a deep breath, tapping her foot to a song in her head to relax before drumming her fingers along the edge of the desk.
Akali’s mind went from the entire test to daydreaming about her and Evelynn dancing together, which was doing the trick in terms of calming her down as minutes went by.
The moonlight would be set on them in a dim room, alone and joyful. She loved the idea of it.
‘Tch quit daydreaming, you aren’t even finished with this whole thing!’ She thought to herself, giving herself what felt like a mental slap to the face before grinning in determination.
It wasn’t much but despite the whole stress-filled portion of her mind, Akali was able to finish up the exam with only 5 minutes left to spare.
Sighing out of relief, she closed the packet and laid back in her seat.
“That felt easier than it should have been.” She mumbled to herself, resisting the urge to run out and find Eve to tell her the good news.
Watching the materials get collected and being given permission to leave was like music to her ears as she’d bolted out of the classroom since there were no classes for today. Her own classes were a mix of majors and what was required so exams for stuff like music could come later at the end of her time here.
Finding Eve in the courtyard, she wrapped her arms around the taller girl with joy, getting embraced instantly.
Evelynn lifted her lover without hesitation and spun around with Akali in her arms.
“How did it go? Did you completely finish?” She asked, setting the former street rapper down and cupping her cheeks.
“I kinda struggled but I saw that little thing you snuck into my pocket, cheeky girl.” Akali huffed slightly, leaning into her chest with a large smile.
“Well at least it’s all over, we’re supposed to all be sent away this weekend and come back in a few months.
“Where will you go?” Akali tilted her head.
“Wherever you’d like.”
Kissing her gently, Evelynn chuckled nervously.
“Then why don’t I meet your family at some point instead of my own? Because that went so great last time.”
“I’m pretty sure you broke her back.” Akali looked up, booping the Diva’s nose.
“Fuck her.” She said with a shrug.
“Yeah!” Akali giggled, hopping into Eve’s arms.
“To the dorms, so we can start packing and leave for my family’s house, I’m sure they won’t mind me being grown up and returning home a bit early.”
“Hah, can’t say the same about my mom behind bars. My dad actually went back to Italy from what I heard.”
Both had begun walking back, hand in hand,
“What about what you picked up from that big house?”
“The house might go to me in the future, not sure about it yet.” Eve grinned cheekily.
"Ooo, let's try living there one day once we're settled down after our years here are truly over. For now, I say we stick to something small." Akali chirped sweetly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A week had passed as they'd packed their things together, the semester over as both had finished their classes almost flawlessly.
It was time for a break which meant more time for their relationship.
Akali had sat a box into the back of her car, smiling widely.
"I can't believe how much has happened this past year, it feels almost unreal," Evelynn mumbled, leaning on the side of the car, examining her nails quietly.
"Well, it's time to use this break for each other and relax,” Akali said happily, tapping her foot on the asphalt.
“Don’t forget the fact that we still have the party with the others tonight in celebration of Neeko and Nidalee graduating earlier than both of us.”
The pair hopped into the car, Evelynn relaxing into the soft seat and closing her eyes for a moment.
She’d let out a loud exhale, buckling herself in as Akali was the one who planned to drive.
The former street rapper tipped her hat with a smile, without Eve she probably wouldn’t have ever been happy at all throughout this year. She couldn’t have been any more grateful than she was right now.
Finding love, passing what felt impossible, and remaining calm under pressure and stress. It was all thanks to her.
Akali felt tears form in her eyes, feeling as if she didn’t deserve what she had right now.
“Are you alright, Darling?” Evelynn asked, watching Akali wipe her eyes with a slight sniffle and giving a nod.
“Yeah, I’m just happy. Let’s finish tonight off strong after we drop off everything at that small apartment you’d picked out.” Akali gripped the steering wheel after sliding the keys into the ignition.
“Oh yeah, I tried using what was left of my money on the apartment. Sona explained that I could actually serve drinks and possibly play music at the bar for cash to pay off the apartment.” Eve said while stretching.
“What about me?” Akali asked while pulling out of the parking lot and gripping the steering wheel anxiously.
“Well, I’ve thought about it. You should go for music or make a manga of some kind.”
“But my skills are still lackluster, at any rate, I’d only be a burden.”
Evelynn felt her eye twitch in annoyance.
“Don’t say that, Darling. You have plenty of talent, even if your dancing that day wasn’t exactly the best when we first met. From what I’ve heard, you sure as hell can sing and do art.”
She let out a small huff as they’d reached the apartment complex.
“Fine, I’ll see what I can do later.”
“Good.” Evelynn smiled warmly, pecking the girl’s cheek.
Evelynn and Akali began carrying the boxes inside and setting them down inside their almost bland apartment.
This was only the beginning for them, right? One door was closed and several others were opened. Preparations for the party could come later, as for now, Akali wanted to savor this moment for as long as possible.
Their plans for the future were bigger than a simple relationship that would barely last, it was what they knew they could do.
Opening a box and lifting a manga volume, Akali then hugged the taller girl tightly.
“I love you.” She whispered gently, burying her face into Eve’s shoulder.
“I love you too darling, let’s get unpacking and ready to celebrate.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word count: 4,531
A/N: I apologize for my absence, I have been gone for far too long. I have no excuse as my mental health was prioritized for the last few months. Despite my disappearance, I do hope you will join me in all that comes next. This story is not over, nor is what I have planned. I will continue all that I've started.
Thank you all for the encouragement and help I've been given.