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"Right there is good, mom, thanks." Y/n pointed to her desk and smiled, using her other hand to wipe the sweat from her brow.
It was move-in day at y/n's college, and her parents were helping with her things. She had applied disgustingly early and paid extra to have a single. She did not want to deal with a roommate, that sounded like literal hell to her. Y/n was kind of a loner, half by choice and half because people tended to think she was a loser.
Suffice to say, y/n had about one friend in high school and she was more so just someone to eat lunch with. They did not keep in contact after high school ended. Y/n was fine with that, she kind of liked being alone, in all honesty. She was bullied pretty relentlessly in high school, but it didn't bother her as much as it should have.
She never bothered to stand up for herself, thinking it wasn't really worth it. That's not to say that y/n couldn't defend herself, she definitely could have, but she knew that it would have just backfired on her anyways. Her school tended to ignore bullying and punish the kids that finally snapped.
Y/n actually attended the gym very regularly, and she had since she was fifteen. It didn't really show if you just looked at her, but she was actually really strong and her body mass was mostly muscle.
Y/n rolled her shoulders, hugged her mom, said goodbye, and began to unpack her things.
~
After a few hours, y/n was finished unpacking everything and absolutely starving. She stretched her arms above her head and let out a small groan when she felt a satisfying pop in her shoulders. Y/n fixed her glasses and changed out of her comfortable moving clothes, getting ready to head to a fast food place she saw near the campus on the way there.
She fixed her cardigan, grabbed her keys and wallet, then left her dorm. She passed by open doors and a few people on her way to the exit, light chatter and laughter filling the halls. It felt nice to be in a place where nobody knew her, to have a fresh start.
The walk to the restaurant was nice. The sun was setting and the street lamps were turning on one by one, insects buzzing around them. Y/n hummed to herself, hands in the pockets of her cardigan. The slight warm breeze tousled her hair slightly and made her smile. It was a beautiful evening, maybe she'd go eat by the lake.
When y/n arrived at the restaurant, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately being greeted by a full eating area and the smell of french fries. She pulled her cardigan tighter around herself as she walked over to the cash register to order. She wasn't a fan of crowded places.
When her time to order came up, she just ordered her favourite and tapped her card to pay before moving off to the side to wait for her order. Someone knocked into her by accident, and y/n stumbled, faceplanting into some guys back. She let out a yelp and grabbed the person to steady herself.
Y/n quickly pulled back and righted herself. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."
The person, a guy looking to be around her age, had his shoulders drawn up and he had turned to face her, face red. Oh, he was cute. Black rimmed glasses, longer dark hair, pale skin.
"I-it's alright." He forced out.
After that, y/n's number was called, and she quickly grabbed her food, ears burning with embarrassment. She quickly fled the restaurant and made her way to the lake.
Whatever, it wasn't like she would see that guy again, anyways.
~
Y/n, did in fact, see him again.
It was on the first day of classes. She was majoring in biochemistry with the goal of becoming a biomedical engineer. She wanted to design prosthetics.
Just as y/n sat down, she saw a familiar face sit down in the row in front of her. She blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing things correctly.
She was.
It was definitely the guy she'd bumped into a few days earlier. Y/n tapped the end of her pen against her lips before averting her eyes. It felt a little creepy to just stare at the guy, even if he was exactly her type. Y/n had always had a thing for guys who were smart, driven, and taller than her. Unfortunately, those men were in short supply, apparently.
The professor soon came into the room, and class started.
~
The second week of classes is when the labs started, and y/n was surprised when she and the guy she'd bumped into were assigned as partners for the foreseeable future. They'd made some awkward introductions and then didn't talk more unless it was about what they were doing.
Y/n found that he was quiet, but unnervingly smart. She liked that. He was a very competent partner and didn't make any stupid mistakes. He was careful when they did the experiments, and he was very respectful. She liked what they had going, he didn't try to bother her or make her feel stupid.
In all honesty, it was nice, but it was also kind of bad, because she was starting to like him a little bit more than a lab partner should. Sue her, okay? He was cute and a nice guy.
A few weeks into being lab partners, y/n finally decided to try and have a conversation with him. They were in the middle of a lab, staring down a microscope at cells from an onion.
Y/n put a few drops of iodine from the pipette onto the peeled piece of onion, carefully lowering the coverslip over it so bubbles didn't form.
"Um, what are you majoring in?" She managed to ask as she put the slide under the microscope.
"Biochem." He mumbled, a pencil and notebook in his hands.
Y/n nodded. "What do you... want to do after college?" She asked.
Choso went still. "Um, I want to be a vet."
Y/n nodded and stopped the conversation there, deciding to focus on the task at hand. Her and Choso took turns looking through the microscope and sketching out what they were seeing, writing little notes in the margins.
~
After that, y/n kept asking him little questions to get to know him whenever they were paired together, and she was surprised when Choso started to do the same after the sixth time. He was a little awkward about it, but she was just happy that he was interested in getting to know her.
Y/n had thought she'd be fine alone in college, but now, not so much. She had a crush on Choso, and it was growing by the day. They already had each other's numbers for school purposes, so y/n worked the courage up to send him a few texts, and was pleased when he answered her quickly.
One thing y/n was not pleased about, was the sudden bullying she was receiving. She was being tripped in the halls, having her stuff smacked out of her hands, and people were snatching her glasses right off her face. That wasn't all, either. She was also being teased relentlessly. They tried to only do it when they caught her alone, like they were worried about their reputations if they were to be caught.
It was annoying, but y/n just put up with it. In the end, she would never see these people again once she graduated. It was a slight nuisance, if anything, so she dealt with it.
Y/n groaned and rolled over in her bed, curling up. She was sick with- well, something, so she had to miss two days of classes. She had been upset over missing her classes, especially her lab with Choso, but she could barely leave her bed. She'd thrown up a few times, and her head hurt something fierce. Her body was covered in a layer of cold sweat and her skin was pale.
Y/n was feeling better the second day, but still couldn't go to her classes. She rolled over in her bed and grabbed her phone when it pinged, sliding her glasses on to check. It was a text from Choso, which surprised her.
Choso
Where are you?
Y/n
Sick
The little text bubble showed up and disappeared a few times before a message finally came through.
Choso
What's your dorm number?
Y/n furrowed her brows and hesitated before texting it to him. After that all he said was a simple 'okay' before he stopped texting her. Y/n rolled back over and tossed her glasses aside, rubbing her sweaty face in the pillow as she closed her eyes.
~
Y/n awoke to a knock on her door. She sat up slowly and put her glasses back on before sliding out of bed. She grunted as her feet hit the ground and grabbed a throw blanket from her chair, wrapping it around her shoulders as she moved to answer the door. She was surprised to see a nervous looking Choso standing on the other side of the door, holding a bag.
"Choso?" She asked, voice a little shaky.
Oh great, he was here, looking at her when she looked like death. Amazing.
"Um, hi." He said awkwardly, holding the bag out to her. "I- these are notes for the classes you missed and, uh, soup."
Since they had the same major, they shared a lot of the same classes.
Y/n slowly took the bag from him. "Oh, thank you." She managed to smile.
Choso cleared his throat and looked away, the tips of his ears reddening as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"It was no problem." He said quietly. "I'll be... going now."
"Okay." She held the bag handle tighter.
Choso turned around, stiff as a board as he made his escape. Y/n closed the door behind him and placed the bag on her desk, opening it to peer inside. She pulled out a medium sized container with a sticky note on the lid, a plastic spoon, and a notebook.
She tossed the bag aside and plucked the sticky note from the lid to read. It was simple, just a little 'get well soon' message scrawled onto the yellow paper with a panda drawn under it. Y/n's lips twitched and she stuck the note to the lamp sitting on her desk.
Y/n picked up the container of soup, the spoon, and got back on the bed. She pulled her laptop over and put on a movie before removing the lid from the container. The smell of delicious chicken noodle soup filled her nostrils, and she dug in.
~
Y/n felt better two days later and finally went back to class. She arrived a few minutes early and grabbed the things she would need from her bag.
Choso hurried into the classroom a minute later, sitting down in the next from in front of y/n, pulling his things out of his bag. Y/n tapped him on the shoulder and watched as he jumped before turning to face her.
Y/n held out his notebook. "Thank you for the notes." She smiled softly.
Choso's cheeks flamed and he took it, their fingers brushing lightly as she handed it over.
"No problem." He replied, voice tight.
~
Something shifted after that day, and y/n had to say that she liked it. Choso talked to her more, texted her, and they even studied together at a cafe for their midterms.
Now it was mid November, and they were a lot closer than they'd started out as two and a half months ago. She liked it.
~
Y/n pushed the door open that exited the gym, and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. She'd just finished with her usual routine and had her gym bag slung over her shoulder. Her glasses fogged slightly since she went from the warm gym to the chilly outdoors.
Y/n walked back to her dorm quickly, then took a shower before sitting down at her desk. She spun around in her chair a few times before grabbing her phone, biting the inside of her cheek before letting out a sigh. She called Choso before she could change her mind.
"Y/n?" He asked.
"Yeah, hi." She cringed at how her voice shook. "Um, do you want to... watch a movie with me? In my dorm?"
He was quiet for a second, then y/n heard a crash before he spoke. "Y-yeah, sure."
They talked for a bit more, agreeing Choso would get some snacks and head over to y/n's dorm after that. Y/n looked down at herself and decided her pyjamas were mostly good enough. They were only watching a movie, so it would be weird to dress up. She stood from the chair and pulled a hoodie over top her shirt, and it fell just above the hem of her shorts.
After putting her hair up in a ponytail and getting her bed ready, there was a knock on her door. She fixed her glasses and opened the door, stepping to the side to let Choso in. He walked inside, bag in hand, and y/n stared at him for a few seconds. He was wearing black jogging pants and a hoodie designed to look like a warden from minecraft. He left his shoes near the door and put the bag on her bed.
He stood in the middle of her dorm, awkwardly looking around and fidgeting with his hands. His glasses were perched high on his nose and his ears were red. Y/n could deduce the fact that Choso was similar to her, no friends and probably never dated anyone before, either. The difference between them seemed to be that y/n was not as awkward when it came to interacting with people.
Y/n may not have really had any friends, a boyfriend or a girlfriend before, but she was pretty calm in new situations. Well, she could appear calm on the outside, but sometimes she was internally flipping her lid.
Like now, she seemed calm, but she was panicking a little bit. Choso was there, in her dorm, and they were going to watch a movie. On her bed.
Y/n closed the door and walked over to the bed, busying herself with opening the bag and pulling out the snacks.
"W-what are we watching?" Choso asked, climbing up on the bed after her.
"Theres this new horror movie I wanted to see." She said, spreading a blanket over their laps and grabbing her laptop.
"Okay." He said, sitting way too straight, clearly nervous and a little uncomfortable.
Y/n put the movie on and opened a bag of chips.
~
Throughout the movie, Choso slowly relaxed, and he seemed very focused on the screen. Slowly, near the end of the movie, y/n shifted a little bit closer, pressing their thighs together. She felt Choso tense up, but he soon relaxed.
After the movie finished, they watched two more while y/n slowly inched closer until she was pressed against his side with her head resting on his shoulder.
Choso felt like he was going to pass out. Having y/n so close was nerve wracking. He had a crush on her, but had been too shy to say anything about it, plus, he didn't want to ruin what they had if she didn't feel the same way. He didn't have any other friends, and he would be sad to lose her. Y/n understood him, and they were similar. He'd never had someone like her around before, and he'd honestly wished they could have met much earlier.
Choso bit his bottom lip when y/n nuzzled his shoulder lightly, trying to stay calm. Y/n smelled like vanilla and strawberries, and it was making him dizzy.
He was so screwed.
~
After that, y/n kept inviting Choso over. Sometimes it was for a movie, sometimes it was to study. He always came over, no questions asked. Slowly, over the next month, they grew much closer. Choso wasn't as nervous around her anymore, at least outwardly. Inside, he was still a mess anytime they touched.
Now, they'd just finished with their final exams and were at a winter festival, walking side by side.
Y/n had asked her aunt for outfit advice. She didn't think she had bad fashion sense, per se, but she wanted to look nicer for the festival. She'd actually almost had a heart attack when Choso showed up. He wasn't dressed like usual, and it had startled her. He'd showed up in baggy jeans, a dark grey crewneck layered over black turtleneck, and a baggy brown jacket thrown on top. His hair was down, a brown beanie pulled over top, his glasses perched on his nose.
Yeah, it'd been entirely too much for y/n's poor heart. She also wondered when he'd even bought those clothes, because she'd never seen him wear anything like it before.
Their hands bumped a few times as they walked, and y/n finally just grabbed his hand, linking their fingers. Choso made a choking noise before stopping in place and coughing a few times.
"Are you okay?" Y/n asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." He said, voice higher than usual.
Y/n hid a smile behind her scarf and tugged him along. She had a plan to enact, after all.
~
Choso followed y/n around like a puppy, keeping a firm hold on her hand. His heart was thudding hard against his ribs with no end in sight. She was beautiful, but seeing her smile so wide with snowflakes in her hair was driving him mad. He'd had crushes on people before, sure, but they died out pretty quickly when he realized they thought he was a loser, but y/n didn't do that.
No, y/n was warm, she was kind, and she was beautiful.
Y/n bit into a meat skewer and chewed, seemingly looking around for something. Choso watched her as he finished his hot chocolate and tossed the cup in a nearby trashcan. Y/n finished her skewer and tossed it out, face lighting up suddenly before she started tugging him forward. Choso followed her and soon they were standing in front of a photo booth.
"Can we?" She asked, looking up at him.
Choso nodded and moved the curtain aside, following her inside. They had to sit pressed together, but that wasn't an issue for either of them. They fed a few coins into the slot and smiled as the first picture was taken. Y/n felt her heart start to beat faster as she turned her head to the side and grabbed his face, turning it so they were facing each other. The second picture was taken as they stared at each other.
Choso's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, cheeks turning red. Y/n pulled his head down a bit and tilted her head up, pressing their lips together before she could change her mind. She faintly heard the click of another picture being taken, then she felt Choso's large, warm hand on the side of her neck, his thumb brushing the underside of her jaw.
They pulled away after a few seconds, foreheads still pressed together as they stared at each other, both of their faces red, small smiles on their lips. Choso's eyes were a little wide, and he looked kind of awed as the last picture was taken.
Y/n turned her head to the side and clicked the option to have two photo strips printed. She used her other hand to pat his cheek before climbing out of the photo booth. Choso scrambled after her, and y/n handed him one of the photo strips. Choso looked at it briefly before blushing and tucking it safely into his pocket.
"Um, so..." He trailed off, looking off to the side.
"Be my boyfriend." She said, and it was clearly not a question.
"O-okay." He shyly reached out to grasp one of her hands in his own.
Y/n nodded once to herself and pulled Choso toward the skating rink. She seemed calm, but her heart was thudding hard against her ribcage as they walked.
~
"What are you doing for Christmas?" Y/n asked, pressing her face against his chest.
After the fireworks, y/n had asked Choso to sleep over, so that's where they were, in y/n's dorm, in her bed.
"Going home to my parents." He said, rubbing her back. He wasn't used to this at all, but he liked it. "You?"
"Me too." She wiggled closer.
They'd found out that their parents homes were only half an hour from each other a few weeks into knowing each other, which was good, because they didn't want to go five weeks without seeing each other.
~
The next day, y/n was staring up at a pouting Choso, who was standing outside her dorm building with a bag dangling from his hand. Although, he would never admit he was pouting.
"I'll see you next week." Y/n said, patting his cheek.
"I know." He mumbled.
Y/n smiled and took a step forward, dropping her bag on the sidewalk as she wrapped her arms around him. Choso hugged her back, but soon he went completely rigid, making y/n frown. She pulled back to look at him, but heard a mocking laugh come from behind them. Y/n pulled back from her boyfriend and turned around, finding a guy approaching them.
"Wow, did the loser finally get a girlfriend?" One of them asked.
Choso seemed to shut down, going completely still, and that pissed y/n off.
"Back the fuck up." She said, standing in front of him he came closer.
The guy stopped, a little confused but clearly amused that a girl was stepping up to him.
"What are you going to do?" He taunted, crossing his arms over his chest.
Y/n narrowed her eyes. One thing about her was that she hated seeing other people get picked on, and she was learning that she hated it even more when that person was her sweet boyfriend.
"Keep talking and you'll find out." She said.
The guy rolled his eyes and reached out, putting his hand on her shoulder to push her aside. Y/n grabbed him by the wrist and shoved him back, watching as he stumbled back in surprise. The guy, now annoyed, approached like he was going to grab her again.
Y/n took a step forward first, swinging her fist right at the guys cheek. She shook out her hand as the guy fell right on the ground, holding his face. The snow was soaking into his jeans and his cheek was already turning red.
"What the fuck?" He spat out.
Y/n rolled her eyes. "Stay the hell away from him or everyone's gonna know you got laid on your ass by a girl."
She turned, grabbed her bag, Choso's hand, and stormed off.
Choso, still in shock at what he just saw, followed y/n obediently to the parking lot. He was half awed, and half tearful, because nobody had stood up for him like that before. He was also kind of shocked, because he didn't know y/n was so strong. He'd felt her body when they were cuddling, so he knew she was pretty solid, but he didn't know it was all muscle.
Y/n stopped in front of her car and unlocked it, tossing her bag in the backseat. She turned around and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him closer.
"You okay?" She asked softly.
He nodded. "Yeah I'm- I'm okay." He was also a little embarrassed that y/n had seen him freeze up like that.
Y/n leaned up and kissed him. "If he bothers you again, I'm going to throw him into a trashcan." She murmured against his lips.
Choso's lips quirked up involuntarily. "Sorry that happened."
"Don't be sorry, that guy is just a dick." She replied. "I have to go, but I'll see you next week."
Choso nodded, watching as y/n got in her car and left.
~
"Your parents are nice." Choso said as y/n pulled him into her room.
"My mom loves you already." She said, dropping his hand and turning to face him.
Choso was looking around her room, doing that awkward stance he usually did when he didn't know what to do.
"Sit." She pointed to her bed as she grabbed the remote for her tv from her chair.
He slowly inched over to the bed, much too slow for y/n's taste. She tossed the remote onto her bed and bent her knees before wrapping her arms around his legs, right under his butt. He yelped and flailed slightly when y/n stood back up, easily picking him up as she took a few steps forward and dumped him on her bed. Choso stared up at her with wide eyes and a very red face.
Y/n ignored his wide-eyed stare and crawled in bed next to him. "You were too slow."
"O-oh." Choso breathed, swallowing thickly as he tried to decipher why he liked that so much.