On Moving Up - An II Fanfic

1 - Post-Summer Anxiety

It was the end of summer, but Test Tube's entire body felt like ice.

Today was the day she was going to move into her dorm room at Inanimate Institute. Of course, she wouldn't be alone- the specific dorm building she was assigned to was essentially just a repurposed apartment complex, so several students would be sharing an apartment together. She didn't even know who else would be there. 

Test Tube stared blankly at the entrance to the building from the safety of the back seat of her parents' car. The only request she had to the housing assignment team was to be put on one of the gender-inclusive floors, seeing as it was the most trans-friendly space on campus. It would at least give her some piece of mind to find some other people like her- right?

It wasn't like her to be so nervous. After the first few days, she'd probably be back to her eccentric, mad-sciencey self! But- what could happen? Would these new roommates like her? Test Tube knew she was probably one of the most socially awkward people on the planet. If there were a competition for that, she'd win, hands-down. What if they were rude? Or thought she was a huge nerd (in the bad way)? Maybe she should've shined her glass this morning. Would that make a better first impression? Would that matter? There were too many unknowns in this equation, and so her parents had to practically push her out of the car and wheel her luggage up to the room themselves. 

Of course, all that worrying was for nothing, as she was the first one in her apartment to even settle in. Looking at the paper she was given, this was a place with two bedrooms, and a wide living space that had been repurposed into a larger bedroom for two or three people to share for a cheaper price than the separate rooms. The only other immediately notable things here were the shared bathroom and kitchen space. The entire apartment was a bit cramped, but it would do. 

Her parents gave her a final hug and said their goodbyes- they were busy, after all- and left Test Tube all alone to finish unpacking. This place felt really empty, but it wouldn't be like that for much longer. Maybe she could get something to hang on the walls. Yeah. Making a game plan to wrangle in all this uncertainty would help, right?

It took her a minute to notice that her room was actually connected to a tiny balcony. Huh. Maybe it would do some good for her to get a potted plant, too- something to take care of.  But what kind? She'd have to research the best kind of houseplants for a college budget and-

Test Tube was shaken out of her thoughts by a loud slamming.

"Whoops..." A voice muttered, alongside the sound of rolling suitcase wheels.

Test Tube cautiously poked her head out of her room, looking into the apartment hallway. A tall paintbrush was moving their own luggage into the larger shared room, with some difficulty.  Test Tube stared for a moment, unsure of what to do. She should help, right...?

"Hey, uh- you want any help with that?" she offered.

"Huh?" the paintbrush looked up at her. "What- oh, no, don't worry about it. I got this," they waved a hand, before taking in a deep breath and dragging the suitcases in with added vigor. Another few seconds, and they're back out, leaning against the wall and trying to play it cool. "Phew, so uh- you're my new apartmentmate?" 

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, trying to sound confident. "My name's Test Tube."

"Cool. I'm Paintbrush. Or, 'Painty', if you're Lightbulb, I guess. And uh- if you could use 'they' for me, that'd be cool," they said.

Test Tube perked up at that. "Sure! Of course! I'm a 'she/her' kinda gal myself, eheh." Augh. That came out sounding more awkward than she meant it. She forced a smile, though it ended up looking more like a grimace. 

"You new here? I think I would've seen you around." Paintbrush took another moment to look Test Tube over.

"Oh, yeah- I'm, uh, a freshman, so. Y'know," she admitted, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. 

"Hey, no worries. Me and Lightbulb are sophomores here, so if you need anything- just let us know, alright?" Paintbrush tried to offer a reassuring smile.

Test Tube let out a breath, relaxing a little. "Oh, really? What's your major?"

"Fine Arts - Painting. Real shocker, I know," they waved a hand. "Yours?"

"I'm honestly... Not entirely sure what I want to do yet. Something science-y, but- engineering, maybe? I dunno, I just thought I could leave the first year as 'Undecided' and then knock out some of my general classes and electives first." 

"Smart plan," Paintbrush nodded.

Test Tube felt a hint of relief at the praise. "So, uh- is... Lightbulb...?"

She didn't get to finish that thought.

"Heeeey! Painty! You here yet?!" A relatively loud voice called from the hall.

In strode the person that Test Tube could only assume was Lightbulb- wearing sunglasses, a cheesy Hawaiian shirt, and carting her own suitcases behind her. 

"You don't have to shout, Lightbulb," Paintbrush said, rolling their eyes.

"How else is my bestie brushie roomie supposed to know I'm here, huh?" Lightbulb asked, goofy grin plastered on her face. 

"You could, you know- walk in like a normal person? 'Oh hey Painty, how was your week? Mine was swell, thanks for asking!'" They snark, but they can't help but let out the tiniest of smiles at her antics. 

"Don't be upset, I got you some neat stuff while I was on vaycay-" Lightbulb cut herself off, noticing Test Tube- "Oh! Wait- I almost didn't see you there, heeeey, are you our new buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm Test Tube," she smiled. Lightbulb seemed nice, at least.

"Well, I'm Lightbulb, your new favorite light-producing gal, and this is Painty! My favorite brush dude... Err... Dudette...? Thude! They/them dude!" Lightbulb metaphorically glows with pride upon creating her brand-new term. 

Paintbrush snickers a little at her antics. "Alright, alright- why don't you leave the newbie alone for a bit and tell me what you got up to this time?"

"Oh no! Painty- wait here, I almost forgot something...!" Lightbulb exclaimed, almost tripping as she ran out of the room. 

Test Tube laughed a little to herself as she retreated back to her room to finish unpacking. Those two were sharing the larger room, weren't they...? She wondered who would be taking the other single room. What if there wasn't anyone at all, and it would just be empty all year? Maybe she could use it as a spare lab... 

Well. No. That probably wouldn't work. She remembered reading something about the occasional room inspection- the RAs would definitely find out. Sigh. 

Test Tube spent the next few minutes setting up her computer and sorting things on her desk, before Paintbrush's shouting got the better of her curiosity. 

"You bought a crab?!" 

Test Tube peeked outside again, staring at the two. Lightbulb was triumphantly holding a small cage, with a little hermit crab inside it- the type of setup you'd probably find at a standard beach tourist trap.

"Yeah, look at him! His name's Baxter!" 

Paintbrush dragged their hands down their face. "Lightbulb, do you even know how to take care of a hermit crab...?"

"Well, it can't be that hard, right?" Her grin didn't fade as she placed the enclosure on her desk. 

"I, err-" Test Tube started, causing the two of them to stop and stare right at her. Gulp. "I'd be happy to give you some pointers on how to properly care for, uh, your little crustacean friend there. Starting with the fact you might want to get a slightly bigger tank for him," she explained nervously, hoping she wasn't being too much of a nerd as she fidgeted with her hands.

Paintbrush folded their arms, looking at Lightbulb as if to say, 'See?'.

Today was going to be a long day.