A Friend (Stanford Pines x Reader)

The Big Dipper

Your professor was eccentric. You picked up on his unique nature immediately. He paced around the room, emphatically waving his arms at the chalkboard to reference the notes. Something about Professor Weaver just demanded attention. It could have been his voice, the fact that his mind travelled faster than his mouth, which often resulted in off-topic tangents and rants, or his slightly dishevelled appearance, or perhaps it was a combination of all of those and more. Whatever it was, you had no qualms with giving the attention he demanded. Your eyes trained on him as he droned on and on about physics. For some reason you couldn't quite place, you found comfort, a sense of familiarity, in his teaching method.

Your steady gaze broke away for a moment to glance at the clock. Your stomach twisted. Ford. You had to meet Ford soon. You clasped your hands together and squeezed, trying to steady yourself. You didn't know why you were so nervous. You had just met him, but his eagerness to get to know you, his kindness towards you, made you drawn to him.

Professor Weaver raised his voice to a borderline shout, roughly tearing you from your thoughts and back to the present. "That is all for today." His voice was deep and firm. He held himself confidently, watching as the students filed out of the lecture hall. You placed your books into your bag, swung it over your shoulder, and followed the crowd.

As the crowd dispersed, you began to pick up your pace from a casual walk to a more brisk one. You weren't given a particular time to meet him, but you didn't want to seem late. You pushed the brown oak door and walked inside the familiar building. The librarian didn't say anything. She never really did, and you didn't have an issue with it. You made your way to the table you always occupied. It wasn't yours, not officially, but it certainly felt like it was.

You sank into your chair and unzipped your backpack. You sifted through the contents for a moment, then pulled out a thick novel. You flipped through the pages for a second. The book had been read and re-read more times than you could keep track of. You knew certain pages like the back of your hand, being able to recite paragraphs like a rehearsed speech. You flipped the cover and looked down at the words.

Anomaly: something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected. It read. Anomalies are everywhere, regardless of whether or not you always see them. Anomalies can come in several different shapes and forms. Perhaps you have an anomaly and aren't even aware of it.

You continued to read the familiar page for a few more minutes before suddenly becoming aware of a presence behind you. You tensed, but then quickly relaxed. "Don't say anything," You said, not looking away from the book. "You're not going to scare me today."

A chuckle from the presence confirmed your suspicions, and you turned around. Ford flashed you a lopsided smile. "I wasn't quite sure how to announce that I was here without scaring you. How did you know?" You shrugged, closing the book and standing up. "Just kind of sensed it."

He nodded. "A sixth-sense. Fascinating." You rolled your eyes and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

Your walk was full of light-hearted banter as you both talked about your day. Ford's appearance was cleaner from what it had been this morning. If he hadn't told you, you wouldn't have suspected that he was running on minimal sleep. "Hey, aren't you tired?"

Ford shook his head.

"How many cups of coffee did you have today?"

"You won't like the answer,"

"I already don't like what caused it."

Ford didn't tower over you in height, but he had to flick his brown eyes down to meet your (E/C) ones ever so slightly. For a moment, you felt flustered with the attention on you. But Ford didn't look disapproving or upset, and the unease melted away. "I had... I want to say five?"