Work Text:
Unknown Number
25th of March
7:18pm
dude what do I do??!
[image attachment]
??
MY FOOD IS BURNING LOOK
PLEASE WHAT DO I DO
geezers, do you have a lid?
lid???
a lid for the pot. I think i see one on the counter next to it
oh god I am so stupid
I put it on there
the fire
is out now
open a window and sit down
that looked like no joke
yeah I’m still panicking tbh
did you open your kitchen window?
not yet no
open it for a few minutes
let the smell escape
and catch some of the fresh air
stupid mosquitoes are gonna get in
doesnt matter now
but they’ll bite me
bite them back
easy
lmao
ugh I really have to open the windows because it stinks so bad
its important to ventilate your space now
figured
now, how did that fire even happen?
idk, I’m usually so amazing at cooking
and at watering your plants
huh
theyre shriveled up like your grandma
geeez
water them
but first take your breather
lol
I didn’t even want them, you can have them back
HA
i didnt give them to you
did you not?
or was it oli
wait hold up stupid
oh shit
i mean me
no I’m texting the wrong number
perceptive
i noticed that too!
I’m so sorry
this is really embarrassing
meh its whatever :3
you did need help with that forest fire in your pot so it was good you texted
i DID think the jokes were unusual
like genuinely sorry, this was probably so weird of me
lmao
ive seen weird!
lol, like what?
i had a dorm roommate and he licked rocks!
hahah what??
like, just for fun? yeah that’s weird
taste good at least?
yes!
…have you tried?
i mean in a duo when there is one stupid there could be a smart one or a second stupid
flawless logic
I see it
hEY!
lol I wasn’t accusing you of being stupid
idk who you are so
what does idk stand for
…
are you serious lmao
yeah!!
I don’t know
damn
you’re the fifth person ive asked
why does no one know?
LMAOOO
i didnt think that would work
I immediately fell for it
how did I not realise it’s such an old joke by now
you’re hilarious
get out of my dms
wait actually?
oh no no I’m just joking, I’m having fun rn
but now I have to return to making myself something to eat
so
it was nice chatting tho, thanks for helping me
no problem :3
———————————————————
8:06pm
so
hows the new dinner?
lmao
it’s good
no it did not burn again
yeah that was the next question I was gonna ask
what were you even trying to cook earlier?
a one pot pasta
one of these recipes you see on instagram
oh im not around there
not at all? Do you have any social media?
yes :3
just not an instagram guy
i dont really get it
yeahh but I get you, instagram rheels are wild
I usually just use it for memes
oh i know memes! >:3
I think it’d be harder not to
if you have a phone it’s a given I’d say
so what do you like to watch on your social media mystery man?
hah! thats a trick question
how so
is there a correct answer
it’s an open ended question, I’m curious
oh!
well i do like me a bit of acting content
and im really into landscape makeovers
of course that’s a thing
you’re the kinda guy to have a favourite type of moss
its hypnum curvifolium
LMAO
but I also like entodon seductrix
wow I didn’t know I was texting such a nerd
…
…
mine’s hypnum curvifolium
HAH
YOU TOO
perfect choice
actually i’m lying I don’t know what that is
its carpet moss!
the moss that grows on rocks and covers soil and it looks lush and soft
lol I never knew that’s what it’s called
idc whoever you are you’re my plant guy now
do you want a special nickname too or just stay random number guy
uhhh
uh
beans
beans? ‘,:D
it’s what I’m eating rn
hahah, just beans??
no no on toast I’m not a monster
ah, so youre british
PFT hah
it’s embarrassing you’re actually right
no one else eats beans on toast
did you make that so you wouldnt burn more food??
you’re not far off
you’re too good at guessing
next im going to guess your identity
that would be wild, don’t do that
or else you’ll find out I’m the coolest guy you’ve ever seen and develop an inferiority complex
nah thatd be hard to achieve
youre still british
wow my roommate just walked past me and saw this
you’ve embarrassed me in front of my roommate how dare you
wouldnt they be british too?
hey now
well that’s correct but not because I’m in the UK!! I’m studying in the US for literally whatever reason
they just happen to both be British
the british gang innit
hehehe :-D
but welcome to america we have a great selection of regular foods dunked in grease
lmao you do
are you American?
yeah :3
Michigan, born and raised!!
but i went out of state to study also because my friends all went and i cant let them have fun without me or i cry
real
I think my friends were the one and only reason I got here
and they’re lucky that we can live in my aunts house because I will NOT step into a one mile radius to a frat
same actually
i have a small studio apartment
your own place as a college student? Or where are you studying
at a university
me toooo
how do you afford that? a scholarship or something?
nah, my parents :3
yeah same for me
I’d live in a box and eat only crumbs all day without them
but i do earn some of my own income with playtesting games
thats so cool i didnt know that was a thing you can do as a uni student :O
how does that work?
any kid dreams of doing that when they’re older, cool ones at least
and I got into it because my friend is a hobbyprogrammer and has connections
mysterious
pftt
just regular connections
and now I get paid to playtest the beta versions of games
I single-handedly delayed a game release by two years because I kept finding bugs and exploits
haha
so i take it youre a gamer?
hm yeah pretty much
it sounds weird to call myself that tho
I have a social life I promise
sir, do you touch grass
frequently
how frequent are we speaking
[image attachment]
look
that’s not grass
no shit
it’s my houseplant Timmy
if he has a name he needs eyes
I don’t have googly eyes
paper and scissors!!
really? do I have to?
YES
okay okay hold on
[image attachment]
HAH PERFECT
not what I thought I’d be doing with my evening today
you can say this about multiple things
pffft
I have no idea about your cooking skills but I’m just going to boldly go dO iT bEtTer!
oh i can!!
my parents actually made me take cooking classes before sending me off to uni
oh gosh you’re pampered your parents thought of everything
ive never lived alone after all
well if you’re so good prove it
how?
five star dinner
for you? with candle lights also i suppose?
pfft haha
no I don’t know where you live
but if you’re up to it I’ll keep that in mind you know
for the next time your food burns?
exactly
hehe >:3
but actually i need to sleep soon
its getting really late
I guess
isn’t it just 9pm? do you have to get up early for anything?
for class yes
oop yeah didn’t think about that
what’s your major actually? so I know which kind of suffering you’re enduring
architecture! :D
lmaoo me too what
which courses do you take?
architecture, engineering, project planning, and construction management
I take the first two too but literally I went to one project planning class and then dropped that immediately
I hated it how do you manage to keep going there
it is useful if you listen properly
oh yeah my bad lmao
but tbh I don’t want to be a contractor. Just an architect, so I don’t know what the project planning would be for
well you still need to organise things
meetings with clients and contractors have to be scheduled, you need to know when what is and how to manage your part of the project
hmmmmm
you’re not wrong and I don’t like it
hehe >:3
my professor was such a sleeping pill though
mine too but i need the course and the material
be a good sport and share lmaoo
we’d probably have differently structured courses tho so it wouldn’t work
i mean, depends on the uni
and maybe the state?
hmm.. almost don’t want to ask but I’m curious
what state do you live in now?
in oregon, you?
me too lolll
so the promised five star dinner is not that unlikely hehe
were in the same state!! :D
could be neighbours for all we know
are you by portland?
eh a bit further down
me too
ooh okay we might actually be pretty closeby
don’t mean to dox you to me but what’s your uni’s motto?
“out there”
MINE TOO dude we go to the same uni that’s wild
hey uni neighbour!!
heyy :D
how did you end up going to osu
my friends lol
They wanted to go to Oregon and we all got into OSU so that was nice
we wanted to stay together
same for me :3
my best friend is canadian and wanted to be somewhere further up
theres still washington state between us and canada but he was fine with it
I wouldn’t have picked Oregon tbh but now that I’m here it’s nice
and like, my aunt
we have a whole apartment in her house with a garden
wait ill get ready for bed ill be back
———————————————————
11:46pm
oli has a term paper due
and since he’s a literature nerd his course is about Shakespeare
so, good friend that I am, I just offered to read the play he wants to write about to help with brainstorming
he has some great plays!!!
did you know he wrote romeo and juliet
that is common knowledge I fear
it wasn’t common to me!
…
who did you think wrote it
the poe guy
lmaooo
I mean that’s also a famous poet at least
anyway, you’re distracting me I’m trying to complain
because WHAT was shakespeare thinking of when he wrote his words
“And laugh like parrots at a bagpiper,
And other of such vinegar aspect”
what does he mean???
I KNOW RIGHT
HOW IS THIS RELEVANT
i had to read one of his plays before back in highschool
he said so many words with no meaning
ITS INFURIATING
i still cant get over vinegar aspect
I have not an inkling of an idea what he meant with that
”But fish not with this melancholy bait” this one goes hard tho
some lines are bangers and others are vinegar
lmaooo yeah
I have literally no clue if shylock likes or hates this antonio
what play are you even reading?
merchant of venice
I read the short description oli sent me and it’s about a merchant borrowing money from the moneylender Shylock and this will probably be as far as I get
I don’t think I can stand it much longer
why does he write like he doesn’t know how to end a sentence and just awkwardly keeps going
it’s too late for this
you can spend your time with better things
yeah I know of a few
sleeping for example
that too
what did you think of?
you could come over and find out
i’m joking, don’t
uh huh make an offer and back out
no five star dinner if you cant commit
woah we never talked about requirements for the food
pft
but that’d have to wait
don’t know you yet
oh but eventually? ,’:3
idk maybe, we’ll see mossy
———————————————————
26th of March
8:48am
Bdubs has to drag his feet across the floor to walk down the hall. Clasped in his hands are a few books to drop off that he almost forgot about, and he’s feeling a way he’s never felt before. His head hurts, the lights are too bright and when he blinks his eyes want to stay closed. Even the usually soft and voluminous brown hair on the top of his head lays unusually flat.
What’s most obvious with his appearance are his eyebags. Bdubs looks like he hasn’t slept in a year and it elicits a laugh out of his friend Cleo, the one who spots him first. They’re standing with the rest of the small group, waving and chuckling.
“What on earth happened to you, Dubs?”
Bdubs groans. There is nothing else he feels he can react with other than the noise, he’s too tired to think of words. Still grumbling he joins his friends and immediately claims a spot next to a wall, purely so he can lean on it. Maybe he is playing into his sleep deprivation a little too much, but it feels good to relax against the chill concrete and be as dramatic about it as he wants.
Etho chuckles too now, “Oh snap. You alright, man?”
It’s definitely an odd sight. In all their years of knowing each other, high school to now being students at this university, neither Etho nor Cleo can recall ever seeing Bdubs like this. Their friend is well known for being a perfect sleeper, almost a show-off about it even. When they graduated a whole page in their yearbook was dedicated to joking about Bdubs’ obsession with an immaculate sleeping schedule.
No less than 10 hours every single night, even during the finals week. To Bdubs the concept of missing out on sleep in order to stay up and study instead felt absolutely crazy. So to now see him tired ?
Bdubs lets out a long yawn, “Hate frickin’ class. Geezers.”
“Way to deflect?” Cleo smirks and raises a brow, “Lovely. Someone is cranky.”
Scar is the last person to catch on and notice. He dutifully, like the good friend he is, asks why Bdubs looks pissed.
Instead of responding, Bdubs continues to grumble and mumble as if what he’s cursing at under his breath was personally responsible for his short night, but it’s clear nothing he’s listing was at fault.
During their architecture course Etho nudges against Bdubs with his foot. Just a gentle tap to get his attention. When Bdubs looks up from the sketch of his current assignment he slow blinks and gives his friend a questioning expression. He’d be annoyed at anyone else, but he can’t be annoyed with Etho. Especially not for just checking in on him.
”You’re really not looking well rested, are you sure you’re fine? Did you maybe catch a cold?” Etho whispers. It’s almost too quiet to arrive in Bdubs’ brain.
”I’m healthy as a horse!” Then he laughs. It sounds embarrassed and Bdubs is bashful, “But I went to bed so late yesterday.”
Etho inches a little closer and rests his head on his hands, “When’d you go to sleep?”
”Uhh…”
”I’m not judging, I promise,” he also laughs, maybe a smidge too loud.
”Like, 2am? But I did not do it on purpose! It was not my fault! Time ran away, my sleeping schedule is usually perfect like me!”
Etho laughs again. The corners of his eyes crease and his head tilts ever so slightly, “Oh snap. So, what happened then? What kept you up?”
“I got a wrong number text and we just.. kept texting.”
Etho raises his brows and straightens up again, no longer resting on his hands. “A wrong number text? Yesterday? That’s a funny coincidence!”
He picks up his pen and starts fidgeting, and of course Bdubs notices, “Hey! What? What’s the coincidence??”
“Oh, just funny it happened to you,” Etho’s voice remains entirely relaxed and he smoothly comes up with an explanation. “We talked about numbers and probability in a lecture yesterday.”
“I don’t remember that coming up!”
“Yep yep, it was just in a conversation, but I don’t know if you were part of it. Maybe you weren’t? Anyway, what’s the person like? Your… number buddy?”
“He’s really funny! I mean not as funny as me, but no one can be funny like me. I had a pretty good time talking to him though, he’s similar to me, so of course he’s fun,” Bdubs grins as he talks.
Etho rolls his eyes, but his lips are curled into a smile. As his friend is speaking, this look of suspicion and recognition lifts off his face and he visibly relaxes in his chair, back into his casual slouched pose. Something about Bdubs’ answer either disproved or answered whatever question the Canadian was asking himself, and it seems to be a good thing.
“Yeah that sounds fun. Just make sure to not stay up too late again, yeah? Not too late.”
“Pft, I’ll never stay up past my bedtime again.”
“Good,” Etho nods to one of their classmates on the other side of the large room. It’s a guy Bdubs can’t stand, for better or for worse, and he looks just as sleep deprived as Bdubs looks today. Except he looks like that every day. “Or you’ll end up like Joel.”
Instantly Bdubs grimaces, “Who’d want that !!”
———————————————————
Beans
7th of April
10:23am
nothing like a bit of blackmailing to start the day
WHAT
I was holding my roommates mugs hostage and tried to think of the wildest way to summarise it
how’d I do
horrible
terrible
i thought i was texting a criminal
cool, perfect
unrelated, can dehydration cause black/blindspots in your vision
asking for a friend
probably
cool
drink some water you dehydrated idiot
I AM
i mean my friend is
DRINK IT MORE CONSISTENTLY
AND OFTEN
mhm
are you going to water me like one of your french plants
i dont even know what to reply to that
was that too far
i just am experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions
what do you mean blackmail and FRENCH PLANTS
I’m sorry I’m so dead today
slept like 2 hours so I’ve reached the point of looping back to full energy
absolutely everything and anything is so funny to me
save me
arent you in class?
sure am
if I don’t stop giggling my friends will kill me
I just need to talk to someone who’s not boring rn
oh? so you thought of me? ;>
pft
don’t read into it
but i am so perfect
no I actually change my mind you suck the most
suck what ;>
omg can you stop I will DIE
i thought you needed something not boring
this wasn’t a good idea you’re making me laugh even more
dddddddddd
sorry my classmate did that
lmao
I think I’ll just fall asleep on my desk
but I’m too energised to do that
well maybe if you slept perfect like me
please I need to be contained.
this just made me google, with full confidence, for “perfect sleepy”
hahahah
you should go to sleep at the same time as me tonight
hm maybe the problem has always been you not texting me good night
how else should I know when to go to sleep
I HAVE
not my fault you missed it!!
oh lol you actually did
sorry I get distracted with rambling about the shows I’m watching
you’ll be asleep while I’m sending destiel memes into your dreams
wait do you watch supernatural
yeah
do you ship?
no I have a tumblr account you spanner
SPANNER?
IS THAT SLUR
a british one yah
or, alternatively, what you’d call a wrench
alright, thats what were doing
bozo
did you have to google that
I KNOW MY INSULTS
no I just can’t hear you say this
id send a voice message but im also in class
woah, a first!!
the voice message I mean not you being in class lmao
if you were to send one I’d swoon over it and set is as my notification sound for your messages
that were so many words to type, so much time to think about what youre saying and you still sent it
you just cant stop declaring your love for me
woah woah I have a girlfriend
(no I don’t I do not)
huh???
since when????
oh
lmaoo
no, couldn’t be me
no one interested? :p
pffft
maybe
and I’m not interested either rn, my roommates would be insufferable if they knew and I’m not sure myself
sure about what? how your roommates would react or how you feel about it?
the latter I think. but in general. I’d like to have someone, just not, yk.
sorry I don’t know how you are with that topic so suddenly I’m nervous lol
uuh my question is are we thinking the same thing
I don’t know, are we? depends on if you’re cool with what I think we’re thinking
im cool with it :3
all three of my best friends are bi
ahh ok ok cool cool
awesome. same topic then
me too I think. It’s all confusing so I’m not sure but yeah
hope that doesn’t change things?
nah were good :D
okay good lol
wow I didn’t expect to tell anyone today
you probably had to get it off your chest
have you told your friends?
no not yet, don’t know if I will
My roommate literally has a boyfriend and Tim is in a situationship with a guy so it’s not like they’d be weird about it
I just haven’t told anyone yet because I don’t know what’s actually going on
its normal to question for a while
did something prompt it?
nothing in particular
it’s been a general thought in my head for a while
and NOW I’m getting sleepy
heh, maybe that was what kept you up so long every night? :p
nah unfortunately I’m an insomniac
but it did relieve some tension in me tbh
thanks
nothing to say thank you for but you’re welcome, beans
have fun getting it figured out, or not, you dont gotta
I appreciate it
———————————————————
12th of April
2:23pm
Right here and right now, Bdubs feels fully at peace. His back is straightened, his gloved hands are holding onto the reins of the horse he’s sitting on and he’s really tall from up here. The ground is so far away!
On this sunny day there is obviously nothing else for him to do but hitch a ride to the stables from Etho and spend a few hours cleaning, brushing what he would love to call his own horse and getting it ready for a nice ride out.
Bdubs has loved horse riding ever since he was little. Of course he also loved playing with cars and pretending to be a contractor, that part of him hasn’t changed, but just like this trait of him stayed the same so did his fascination with just about the best animal to ever live: the horse. They’re everything he ever wanted in a companion.
Large, majestic, trusting and, with a good bond, loyal. Bdubs was also fond of his various childhood dogs and cats, but here, on the back of a horse, galloping on a long pathway between wide stretched fields, he’s the happiest. While he doesn’t own this steed, he has been caring for Climb 9 ever since he moved from Michigan to Oregon for university.
The duo slows down to a trot to enjoy the sun on their skin for a little longer. Bdubs closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Both to replenish his oxygen and to savour the smell of the fields and the leather from his saddle.
Up here he doesn’t have a care in the world, he’s free, he’s unreachable and un-
“Oi, watch where you’re going!!”
Bdubs keeps his eyes closed. If he doesn’t look, maybe this annoyance will go away. Maybe…
“Are you even listening??”
Well, it was worth a try. Bdubs rolls his eyes while they’re still shut before looking down from his horse at his least favourite guy to ever guy on this earth.
“What?!”
“I said watch where you’re going! You almost trampled me,” Joel complains. There is plenty of space to the right and to the left of him, yet he remains stubborn and cross-armed. In his hands is a leash connected to the dog Joel frequently walks.
Great for the dog to get walked, but Bdubs hates that it also means Joel is constantly clogging up the pathways around the stables with his presence. They keep running into each other, at least once or twice a week, and Etho gets to hear this ongoing rivalry from both sides.
“Well why are you always walking where I’m riding?”
“You have a million paths to choose! You are riding where I’m walking!”
Bdubs takes in the reins of Climb 9 and straightens his back even more. He’s the tall one here, he’s the one in charge! It’s his path!
At the same time Joel begins holding his leash tighter. The dog, Bdubs doesn’t even know its name, sits down by Joel’s feet and observes the horse with curious eyes. A different dog sitter and horse guy would probably let the two animals sniff each other, but this is horse lover Bdubs and horse hater Joel. They inherently clash, there is no way they would ever get along.
Climb 9 shifts and Bdubs only barely catches how Joel slightly flinches at the movement. What he does see far more clearly is Joel’s hand tightening around the leash even more. He’s tense.
Sure, they’re both usually upset about it when they cross paths, Etho often jokes they do it on purpose so they can be mean to someone every once in a while. Still, while Joel remains unmoving and stubborn, he’s… intimidated. Not by the person sitting on the horse.
Bdubs can’t say he’s noticed this before. Honestly, he just never pays much attention to anything else but the rage blooming inside him at the sight of Joel’s face.
“Just go somewhere else, heavens to Betsy,” he comments, but he’s decided to leave him alone for now. Something seems to be off.
“You don’t own this place, you know.”
Okay. Nevermind.
“You're always perfectly in my way, like blummin’ clockwork!”
“Oh you leave my clocks out of this!”
Now it’s on. Bdubs shifts his weight so he can, elegantly of course, swing his leg over Climb 9’s back and hop off to the ground. Now they’re on eye level, Bdubs definitely lost the height intimidation factor by doing this, but it allows him to encroach closer.
Joel still does not budge, staying stubbornly unmoving.
”You say nothing about this place, this is where Climb 9 lives-“
”Climb 9? Was that really the best name you could come up with?”
Bdubs huffs, “For your information, I do not own and did not name this steed, but also for your information, Climb 9 is a beautiful horse and I will name my own after him!”
They’re all in each other’s space now, both of them are trying to appear taller and broader. It ends with them standing on their tiptoes, arguing.
”I don’t care about your blummin’ nerd horse.”
”You don’t? Maybe you should!! Maybe you should, he is wonderful and you will say nothing about my-“
”Didn’t you say he’s not yours?”
”I love him very much, so at this point our souls are-“
Joel groans and looks at him. Bdubs is way too close for comfort, but he’s too stubborn to take a step back. He crosses his arms.
“God. Let it be. I’d even kiss you right now just to make you shut up.”
It’s supposed to be a threat, neither of them would want anything less, but Bdubs takes and twists it by squinting and wetting his lips, “Promise?”
As if that word released a magic spell cast on Joel’s feet he instantly takes a step backwards out of Bdubs’ reach and makes a face.
It’s an expression Bdubs hasn’t seen on his face before, not that this would be a miracle considering they’ve only ever looked at each other displeased and annoyed, but it’s yet another thing Bdubs is taking note of.
They didn’t realise how warm it had gotten between them until the fresh air surrounds them again.
Bdubs turns around and in one moment and a few confident movements he’s back on Climb 9, sitting high and very pleased with himself.
Joel mutters something he can’t hear from up here and Bdubs chooses to ignore it. They don’t spare each other one last look when they part ways.
“I won that argument,” Bdubs thinks to himself.
———————————————————
Beans
23rd of April
7:53am
good luck today mossy
…
have I got the wrong day
I’m going to die if I have
i appreciate the sentiment
but i have an exam yesterday and tomorrow
fuck
I swear it was a Thursday lol
———————————————————
25th of April
10:20am
Etho taps his pencil against the white desk his project is laying on. This architecture lecture has been going on for way too long and he has exhausted all his options of entertainment. Paying attention for a bit, looking out the window, counting the leaves on the tree, doodling, he even got out his current assignment to work on it.
It’s not that he wouldn’t rather pay attention to the material, it’s all relevant after all and often quite interesting, he just can’t focus. The last piece of entertainment Etho can think of to resort to is to turn to his friends for a chat, but…
Bdubs is typing on his phone.
Cleo isn’t taking this class, Scar had to stay home because of a health flare-up and Bdubs just is on this damn phone.
He’s been typing away for an hour or so. It’s really unlike him, while Bdubs of course doesn’t always pay attention, he’s also a human with a normal limited capacity to focus for a long time at once, but texting?
Etho generally deemed Bdubs to be the last person to ever get out his phone during a lecture. So many times did Bdubs grumble when others did it, saying it’s rude and disrespectful. And now he’s also doing it.
What’s more concerning though is that when Etho’s eye wanders across the room he can see that a particular classmate of theirs, Bdubs’ arch-nemesis Joel, is busy texting, too. When their quiet chuckles line up suspiciously well Etho squints.
Oh-oh.
———————————————————
Beans
29th of April
8:15pm
DID YOU KNOW
what
what did I know
nevermind
??
blummin’ hell
just say it
no no it was a stupid thought
you’re really frustrating sometimes you know
hehe i know
:3
ugh
you sure you don’t want to say it?
what if I ask nicely?
you’re so annoying
pleeease
ayo
mossy rando
oh sorry i was grabbing a snack
changed my mind
YOU
no im gonna say what i wanted to say
omg I would have kicked you
go ahead
always so nice! never any violence threat, never!
whatever, pfft
so, ANYWAY
a guy called keralis is hosting his birthday next week
oh wait
which keralis
the one from the 2nd Architecture course?
I’m not in it so I barely know him
yeah me neither
with being in the course
i do know him tho we used to hang out freshmen year
ahh okay okay
are you suggesting we go?
maybe :3
if youd want to
i figured itd be fun to hang out there
and like, meet?
yes
okay okay, sure!!
is it on like, a weekend? I do have some stuff to study for
its saturday so everyone has recovery time on sunday
at least thats what he said
I should be fine then
haha okay so we’ll really see each other on saturday?
ideally we will :3
im going to bring my friends as backup
oh yeah good idea
I’ll bring mine too then I guess
do you drink? or would you rather just hang out then, we could sit outside or something and just talk
are you offering to stargaze? :p
haha I mean if youd like to
I don’t know if the sky will be clear tho and there’s light pollution
but I know a really nice spot further out on my aunts property where the night sky is really nice
doesnt sound like youll lure me in for a murder at all
lmao
that’d be so disappointing, who am I gonna talk to if you’re dead
convincing
well, id follow you into the woods after this argument
hahhd you’re stupid
yeah I’ll absolutely be at the party or whatever it is
do we have to bring a present? is it even open invite??
keralis is fine with anyone coming whos a friend of a friend, no gift requirement i think
ill give him a voucher for gardenwork tho
crafted by ME :33
alright then hahah
but you have to tell me how you’re dressing so I don’t show up in sweatpants just for you to be all fancy
promise!
cool
gonna put it in my calendar even
awesome
great!! excited
I’m off to the library now but I’ll be back
probably to complain
alright!! :3
———————————————————
10th of May
8:19pm
Bdubs is so so nervous. Every time Etho takes a turn Bdubs lets himself be shifted around, left and right, back and forth. The music barely reaches his ears. It’s Scar’s playlist, that’s all he remembers right now, and said brunette is busy loudly singing along in his own seat. He’s doing half a dance performance next to Bdubs, bobbing along in excited anticipation of the party they’re heading to.
They’re a group that’s rarely seen at such get-togethers. Cleo heavily prefers hanging out in the comfort of their own home in relaxed clothing and with a bottle of wine. Sometimes they and Scar would even “get ready” where they’d style their hair and do their make-up. These evenings have become more rare as the classwork to be done increased though, unfortunately.
An explanation on why the pro-sleeper Bdub doesn’t attend parties is redundant. Today, however, it’s beginning to be one of the multiple exceptions he’s been making in the recent weeks. He’s become more bold with breaking his own personal curfew, a rule nobody is forcing him to abide by in the first place, to go places and do things instead.
Last of all, Etho simply isn’t the kind of person to enjoy loud house parties, any social event with more than six people scares him. Still, when Bdubs approached him to ask if he was maybe willing to accompany him today, Etho just said he was planning on going anyway.
Scar was so excited when they all unanimously decided to go out tonight.
Great, now Bdubs feels guilty, too, as the nervousness and anxiety is taking over every inch of his body, every single limb. His heart beats so loud, drowning out all noise, and his cheeks are hot and he’s probably pretty blushed if anyone was to look at him while a streetlight briefly lights up his face. He’s going to meet his number guy tonight.
They’ve been texting every single day ever since the mix-up happened. Beans is the first person Bdubs shares his dreams with now when he wakes up, the guy he tells about his day and his new additions to the plant family, the last friend he texts good night to before heading to sleep at 9:30pm.
But they’ve never seen each other. For goodness sake, they don’t even know each other’s actual names! Beans and mossy rando? Bdubs has decided that by now it’s just too embarrassing to pop in and go, “Hey dude, btw, what’s your name?” That doesn’t mean he’s not curious about his number buddy, he’s dying to know his name and to see his face and to get to know him in real life.
Yet equally, he’s scared.
What if when he finally gets there and their eyes meet Beans would be disappointed? What if the real Bdubs does not at all match the expectations Beans could have in his mind? Bdubs is confident he wouldn’t be able to take the rejection.
Bdubs sinks deep into his seat as if it’d make him disappear. He doesn’t look good enough tonight, not good enough to step in front of the guy that he’s… that he’s so fond…-
“Oh snap, we’re here!”
Chill air surrounds them once the group’s driver parks somewhere down the street and they leave the car. Bdubs gulps. His friends gather their belongings, the deep bass music vibrates in their bones and Bdubs, more nervous than ever, feels about ready to throw up.
He will meet his mystery person and just realised that he has maybe perhaps developed a bit of a crush on him. Well, fuck.
———————————————————
Beans
10th of May
8:26pm
we just arrived but im not feeling too well
im SICK
oh god me too tbh
I’m glad you too
like, not that I’m glad you’re feeling sick! Just I do also and I’m glad I don’t have to be an ass and cancel on you
are you still there anyway?
at the party?
uh
yeah I still am
just, I’m in the bathroom rn and I’m not sure you’d want to see me
oh no!
you good in there?
yeah yeah I am now
not doing too well but it’s getting better
———————————————————
11:02pm
to be honest I got really nervous, I think that’s why
idk what I’m actually worried about
I’m sure you’re suiper nice irl too, I wouldn’t chat with you so much if I didn’t like you you know?
I guess I’m just
kind of scared?
like not that you’d do anything omg
I’m a grown tall guy I can defnd myself
and I don’t think you would
but thaat you’d be disappointed
like with who I am irl and stuff
because you also never saww be before?
and what if you think I’m ugly lmao
or if you think I’m too obnoxisous
I don’t know, I’m being stupid
sorry for spamming you btw
———————————————————
4:13am
i got home a few hours ago
can’t sleep
ah okay, are you better now?
don’t bother backreading btw I was just rambling
I had a drink lol
yeah!! friend of mine was on her way home anyway and dropped me off :3
way better now
crazy that we like, both got sick all of a sudden
now that I’m here I regret going at all because it’s so awkward
I don’t know Keralis that well, we talked maybe twice, and now I’m supposed to be sleeping in his room omg
YOU WHATTT?
howd you end up there?
hahah
he noticed I was in the bathroom for a while too long so
were you hiding in there?
idk
maybe I was
but anyway he talked to me for a bit and I must have seemed kinda drunk because he helped me upstairs and just parked me in his room
like literally in his bed?? and I grabbed a blanket and moved to the couch in his room 20mins ago because he’s asleep next to me and it’s so awkward
why are you in HIS BED
I think he didn’t know what to do with me tbh and he didn’t know who I was with so yeah
not sure he actively registered I was in his bed either tbh
doing us a favour by moving to the couch lol
just want to go home at this point
I’m sorry we didn’t manage to meet
hey its all good
i got sick too so its not your fault anyway
we can find a different opportunity
hmm
we don’t really need a party setting honestly
as long as you’re okay with that, we can still meet up at a public place, maybe bring a friend?
if youre suggesting that to make me feel comfortable i appreciate that
id also be totally fine to hang out with just you
we talked about supernatural before so how about we watch that?
what episode are you on?
im not really far into season 2 right now
we could also watch a movie
yeah!!
at mine or at yours?
question is how annoying are your roommates and who has the bigger couch :D
VERY annoying
but also easy to kick out
and big couch, mine needs to fit 3+ people regularly hahah
so at yours then? i live by myself and id say my furniture does reflect that
alright!!
can I also claim the promised five star dinner?
getting greedy are we
pfffft
getting hungry is what I am
but no I’m joking you don’t have to cook for me
id do it, i love cooking!!
we could cook together maybe?
we can decide what to cook and I get the stuff, you come over, we cook and then eat while watching a movie
does that sound alright?
sounds awesome!!
okay awesome haha
let’s decide if a date when it’s not 4am
if its a date?
what?
oh typo whoops
ooh okay
yup
unless…
jk jk
or the other way around
jk jk.. unless
okay no ignore me I need to sleep
so do you
hehe
woah you telling ME to go to sleep for once
look what youve made me
:p
and now youre stealing my emoticons
well what can I say
I steal hearts AND your keyboard characters
heh
okay, so its decided? cooking and movie night?
yeah
I’m really looking forward to it
let me know when you’re up tomorrow so we can figure out when, yeah?
yup! good night beans
good night mossy <3
<3
———————————————————
12th of May
4:18pm
Time is passing painfully slowly once again. They’re back in architecture, for the second time today, thanks to some truly awful scheduling for this semester. While Bdubs is doing this major out of passion, too much is too much.
Etho is sitting on his left and started doodling on Bdubs’ hands a few minutes ago. In between them is a piece of paper Scar tore out of his notebook and it’s filled with tic-tac-toe and games of hangman, the boredom is nearly dripping off of them.
There are a million other things they’d rather be doing and it wouldn’t all be bad if their professor was at least giving them new input, but she’s been explaining and repeating the same things over and over. That’s only because she’s trying to make sure no one is falling behind though, patiently rewording herself as many times as needed.
Still, it’s boring, they’re bored, and Bdubs would text Beans, but he’s not online and not replying to his messages. Instead of that he asks Scar for another page from his notebook and begins doodling a comic with them, drawing one panel before pushing the paper to Scar to do the second one.
They’re in row three at panel 10 of their nonsensical doodled story when their professor suddenly raises her volume again, back to the loud, clear voice announcing a new topic or a class work. Bdubs puts his pen down and looks back to the front of the room.
It’s nearing the end of today’s class, so Bdubs knows this will be about a homework assignment and gets ready to note it down.
“Now I’m running out of time here, I apologize, I wanted to talk this through more thoroughly. I prepared something for all of you, it’s right…” She opens her folder that’s filled to the brim with notes, “...here. So, I spent a few hours on this. I want you guys to come together in groups and step by step design and create a model of a building.”
Some students huff at the promise of this workload, but generally the consensus is quite positive. After a long time of theory it’s nice to get crafty again. At the mention of groups Scar, Etho and Bdubs give each other a brief look.
“You can make the model out of various materials like cardboard, wood, paper, wire and more. I'll upload a longer list of material suggestions after class today. We will go over it step by step, so for the eager ones, please don’t work too far ahead this time.”
She gives her best performing students a warm look and it bugs Bdubs that Joel is also amongst them. He’s sitting in his stupid corner and seems to already be plotting ideas with his two blonde friends Bdubs has never bothered speaking to.
“For this first step I want you to collect ideas and start on some sketches already, we will review them at the end of the week. Now, I know you’re all already sitting in your little groups, but I want to mix it up a little.”
This seems to be where her paper of notes comes into play, “I took a look at everyone’s previous works and tried to match you up as best as I can. I really would like the models to most accurately reflect what you are all capable of, so I put together people in a way where I think you would make each other’s skills shine.”
Bdubs isn’t worried about his own group. Their professor has said before that they work great as a team, so while others will probably get redistributed, they will surely stay together as they are.
“Ideally we will then display your work in this year’s exhibition at our university. I will upload this list now, so please check out who you’re working with and exchange numbers, we still have a few minutes.”
Etho leans back and waits for the pdf file to pop up on the screen of his old laptop. Once it does he downloads it to view and has to scroll down to search for his own name. Both Bdubs and Scar are peeking over his shoulder, hoping that their own names will be next to his.
They’re group seven. Bdubs reads the member list and bites down on the inside of his cheek. He does get to do this project with Etho, but to Bdubs’ fucking luck his third group member is not Scar, poor Scar is assigned to someone else entirely, it’s none other than Joel.
Bdubs almost growls as an immediate reaction and it makes Etho burst out into quiet laughter.
“Him?? Are you serious??? Out of everyone, Etho look, everyone in this damn classroom, him? Oh heavens to Betsy!”
“Hey,” next to Bdubs, Scar crosses his arms playfully, “I’m the one who’s getting excluded.”
Etho pushes his laptop to Scar and lets him search for his own group. He stopped laughing, sure, he knew of Bdubs’ rivalry with Joel from how often he complains about him, but now seeing Bdubs’ reaction he’s no longer sure that this is funny. Etho is going to have to put up with them both bickering and fighting.
“It’s all going to be alright, I can take over if you don’t want to talk to him,” Etho offers, “But he’s not that bad, he can be pretty funny. Maybe you can put your beef aside for this?”
Bdubs crosses his arms, “NO?? And what are you calling him funny for??”
Etho shrugs, “I mean, I haven’t really mentioned it before but I do talk to him sometimes.”
This is news to both Bdubs and Scar.
“When?”
“Well, he’s Jimmy’s roommate-”
Scar gasps, “Your situationship guy, right?”
A voice interrupts them, one that is grating on Bdubs’ ears.
“Are we done chattering?”
It’s Joel, his crossed arms matching Bdubs’, impatiently waiting around. He must have walked up to them while they were talking, and from what it seems he is equally split in his opinion on this grouping.
Etho’s lips form into a thin line and he’s trying to think of a way to prevent these two from ripping each other’s hair out… but what’s the use in that, they will figure it out eventually, it’s time they do.
“Maybe you can just exchange phone numbers now and we’ll sort it all out, yeah?”
Bdubs grumbles, but still gets out his phone. Joel does the same and only because he reaches to hand his unlocked device to Bdubs, the contact list already open and ready for the new phone number to be entered, does Bdubs hand him his own in turn.
Their exchange appears like a momentary peace offering and probably only works because Etho is still sitting right there, watching them like they are kindergarteners and he wants them to apologise to each other.
With a huff Bdubs holds Joel’s phone, they have a similar model, yet still feels different in his hand, and enters the digits of his phone number. The suggested contact list with the same digits gets shorter and shorter, and by now Bdubs would expect it to be gone entirely, but there is still one left.
When he is halfway done he gives that suggested contact a read.
‘mossy rando’
…
It’s his phone number.
…
This is Beans. Joel is Beans.
He looks up, and so does Joel, and then their eyes meet, both of them frozen in place and completely stunned.
They probably look really stupid right now, lips parted in disbelief, expressions blank, and Etho bites the inside of his cheek.
This is really, really fucking awkward.
———————————————————
Beans (JOEL!! >:U)
12th of May
4:31pm
so uh
I know this is all really weird, but
you still up for movie night…?
geezers
yeah