Motion Sickness | Simon Petrikov x Reader

Chapter 2 | Discoveries

You were adjusting to your new job a lot easier than you imagined. You hated change. You didn't like your routine being thrown off and this whole situation was new to you. However, new colleagues you met, especially Simon, made the adjustment a hell of a lot easier. You met a few more people as the first week passed. They were all professors who worked in your building.

Patricia Steeds specialized in women's history, teaching her students the historical significance of women throughout the ages. Her defining characteristic was her hair. It was a rich brown color that complimented her rosey and ivory skin tone. The curls of her hair were defined and natural, her eyes an emerald green. She was younger than you by a few years, but you found out that you shared the same birthday.

Adam Holter taught United States history, discussing historical figures and events that shaped the culture of the country. He had a very deep and soothing voice, rich and dark. His skin tone was a dark umber with a cool undertone that glowed when the sunlight hit it. His dreads were pulled back into a messy bun, and you thought it complimented his bright and fun personality that presented itself when he held a conversation with you.

You were relived to find out that most of the staff in your building, the people you'd be seeing the most, were quite friendly and welcoming. Adam even got you a welcome gift the day after speaking to you for the first time. Things were looking pretty amazing. You hoped things would stay that way once the semester started.

Students had already started moving into their dorm rooms, so the campus was already alive and buzzing with diverse groups and personalities. You had received your lists of students for each of your classes this semester. The time to have everything prepared and organized for your students was quickly approaching, which meant you were spending more time in your office.

One particular day while you were working, you had gotten a headache after staring at your computer screen for so long. You decided to take a break from working on your syllabus, and stepped away from your computer. You looked up at the wooden ceiling fan hanging at the top of your office, taking in the cool breeze it was giving you. One of the downsides of the beautiful old campus was the lack of ventilation systems in some of the rooms, which included the offices. Thankfully, the classrooms had AC units, so all you had to do was keep your office door open to get some of the cold air inside.

After a while, you got bored with yourself and decided to visit Simon's classroom. You realized you hadn't visited him once since you've gotten here, he'd always come to you.

You knocked on his office door. You saw him look up through the window, before he gave you a smile. He motioned you to come in, so you opened the door and entered.

His office was nicely decorated. A tall bookshelf sat in the corner of the room behind his desk, filled with books ranging from modern literature to antiques. Some of the shelves had empty spaces that displayed pens or small awards and certificates. His window was draped with red curtains, a classical and antique look that matched with the rest of his office. A picture frame hung on his wall, displaying a small girl with black hair and grey skin. She had two sharp fangs, and bright red eyes. There was another picture next to it. It framed the same black-haired girl, but she was much older. She was smiling, holding a red bass in the shape of an axe. She must've had some significance to Simon.

Simon caught you looking at the pictures, smiling before looking at them as well. "That's my daughter, Marceline."

You looked over at him, giving him a warm smile, "Do you have any other kids?"

"No, just my little Marcy." He sighed as he shook his head. "Well, she's not so little anymore."

Simon trailed off to himself for a minute before snapping back to reality. "Please, take a seat. I don't want to make you stand the whole time you're here."