Chapter Text
the all-nighter was brutal, but by 7:30 am, the dining table looked like a war room that had actually won.
poster boards covered in parrot’s neon-green timeline notes were strewn across the floor. empty coffee mugs, crumpled paper, and half-eaten takeout containers littered the counter.
but sitting right in the center of the table was a pristine white envelope containing wemmbu’s official emergency aid appeal, backed by three separate character references, a drafted work study agreement, and minutes signed department stay.
"read it one more time,"
wemmbu said, his voice raspy from lack of sleep. he was slouching in his chair, rubbing his eyes until he saw spots. "what if there's a typo in the charter reference?"
"wemm, i've proofread this thing four times bro," parrot said, capping his red pen with a decisive snap. "flame checked the financial math twice. Spoke somehow wrote a glowing personal statement for you that didn't sound like a complete disaster. it's solid."
"it didn't sound like a disaster because i actually care, bro,"
spoke said, tossing a couch pillow at parrot. he was stretched out on the sofa, looking completely drained.
"you owe me lunch for that essay, wemmbu. i used big words and everything."
the front door clicked open, and egg walked out of his bedroom carrying his backpack, looking significantly less tense than he had the day before. he glanced at the table, then at wemmbu.
"you guys actually stayed up all night?" egg asked.
"parrot wouldn't let us sleep,"
flame grunted from the kitchen, pouring the last of a fresh pot of coffee into a travel mug. "he had a whistle. i'm pretty sure he blew it at 3:00 am when spoke fell asleep on his keyboard."
"it was a metaphoric whistle," parrot corrected smoothly, sliding the envelope into a protective plastic sleeve.
"and it worked. we have thirty minutes before the administration building opens."
egg walked over to the table, picking up the envelope and scanning the header. a small, relieved smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he handed it back to parrot. he looked over at wemmbu.
"you going with him to hand it in?" egg asked.
wemmbu stood up, his legs feeling heavy. "yeah. i need to be the one who turns it in."
"good," egg said, tapping wemmbu's arm.
"i've got an 8:00 am lab, but... text the group chat the second the clerk stamps it."
"i will," wemmbu promised.
ten minutes later, wemmbu, parrot, and flame were cutting across campus once again. the rain from yesterday had cleared, leaving behind a crisp, biting cold morning air that jolted wemmbu wide awake.
as they approached the wide stone steps of the administration building, a small crowd was already waiting near the doors. standing near the front handrail, holding a tablet and chatting with two other students, was lettuce.
lettuce looked up as the trio walked up the steps. his eyes landed on the plastic sleeve in parrot's hand, and his relaxed stance tightened just a fraction.
"morning, boys,"
lettuce said, his tone light but curious. "you're up early. housing deadline isn't until five."
"we like to clear our desk early," parrot replied smoothly, not stopping as he pushed open the heavy brass doors of the building.
wemmbu paused for a brief second on the threshold, meeting lettuce's gaze. there was no smirk on lettuce's face this time, just a quiet realization that wemmbus spot on the lease wasn't going to open up after all. wemmbu didn't say anything, he just gave a single, quiet huff and followed flame and parrot inside.
the administrative office was warm and smelled like old carpet and hot ink. behind the front desk sat mrs. squiddo, the university registrar, looking up from a stack of files with a sharp, perceptive gaze.
parrot stepped up to the counter first, setting the thick envelope down with military precision. "good morning, mrs. squiddo. we're turning in an emergency late-appeal for section 4b financial stay and program reinstatement, sponsored by department head minute."
Mrs. squiddo pulled her glasses down her nose and looked over the top of them. "section 4b? those are rare."
she pulled the documents out of the sleeve, flipping through the pages with a swift, experienced hand. the room went completely silent except for the rhythmic shuck-shuck of paper turning. wemmbu felt his pulse pounding in his ears, his throat going dry again.
she reached the final page, looking closely at minute's signature at the bottom. then, she looked up over her glasses straight at wemmbu.
"you wemmbu?" she asked.
"yes, ma'am," wemmbu said, stepping forward.
mrs. squiddo looked at him for a long, agonizing three seconds, taking in his tired eyes and nervous posture. then, she reached for a heavy rubber stamp on her desk, pressed it onto an ink pad, and brought it down on the top sheet with a loud, echoey THUMP.
ACCEPTED - PENDING BOARD REVIEW
"board meets at 2:00 pm to finalize housing and aid allocations," mrs. squiddo said, sliding a yellow carbon copy across the desk to him. "you'll get an official email by four. but with professor minute's signature and this work-study agreement, your status is temporarily active. you're clear to sign your lease extension today."
wemmbu took the yellow paper with a hand that barely shook. "thank you. thank you so much."
as they walked back out into the morning sunlight, flame let out a low whistle, slapping wemmbu heavily on the back. "that's one down. now you just have to actually work twenty hours a week at the library and pass your retakes."
"i'll work forty if i have to," wemmbu said, a massive, invisible weight finally lifting off his chest.
parrot pulled out his phone, clicking open the group chat with egg, spoke, and jaden. he typed a quick message: stamped. lease is safe. get the paperwork ready.
wemmbu pulled out his own phone, looking at the yellow paper in his hand, then up at his friends walking beside him. for the first time in a month, the quiet inside his head didn't feel suffocating - it just felt like a fresh start.
mrs. squiddo handed over the yellow copy with a sharp, knowing tilt of her head, but the administrative stamp was only step one.
the four o'clock board review deadline hung over the apartment like a ticking clock, and the energy in the room when wemmbu, parrot, and flame walked back through the front door was pure nervous adrenaline.
"they stamped it?" egg asked immediately, jumping up from the couch before the door had even fully swung shut. spoke and jaden looked up from the table, both pausing mid-bite of cold leftover pizza.
"pending review," parrot said, tossing his keys onto the counter with practiced calm. "which means we have six hours before the board approves the stay and locks the housing roster. until that email hits wemmbu's inbox, we aren't completely in the clear."
"so what do we do for six hours?"
spoke groaned, falling back against the cushions and throwing an arm over his eyes.
"i've been awake for twenty-six hours. my brain feels like lukewarm soup."
"we clean the living room, we don't stress wemmbu out, and wemmbu goes straight to the library," flame said, leaning against the doorframe with a faint grin. "mr. work-study over here has an orientation shift at eleven."
wemmbu blinked, wiping a hand over his face. "wait, today?"
"you told minute you'd take whatever shift they had,"
parrot reminded him, pulling a folded slip of paper from his jacket pocket and handing it over. "
i stopped by the financial aid desk while you were talking to mrs. squiddo. head librarian needs someone to organize the basement archives and clear the mid-term return carts. it's four hours, it counts toward your initial balance pay-down, and it proves to the board that you're actively fulfilling the section 4b agreement."
wemmbu took the paper, looking down at the neat handwriting. a month ago, the thought of adding a four-hour work shift on top of his ruined grades would have sent him spiraling.
now, with the weight of the secret lifted and his friends standing around him, it just felt like something solid to anchor himself to.
"i'll grab my jacket," wemmbu said.
"i'm walking with you," egg said, grabbing his backpack from the chair. "my lab gets out at noon anyway, and there's no way i'm sitting in this apartment watching spoke sleep."
"hey, my sleep is essential to the group dynamic," spoke mumbled into a couch pillow, though he didn't actually protest as egg and wemmbu headed for the door.
the walk back across campus was different this time. the morning mist had burned off completely, leaving a sharp autumn sky and pale sunlight reflecting off the wet pavement. for the first time in weeks, wemmbu didn't feel like he was dodging eye contact with every person who walked past.
"so,"
egg said quietly as they cut through the quad toward the tall stone towers of the university library. "the basement archives?"
"sounds dusty," wemmbu admitted, pulling his sleeves over his hands against the wind.
"better than getting sent back home," egg offered, nudging his shoulder. "and... look, wemmbu. about yesterday. in the apartment."
wemmbu slowed his pace slightly, looking over at egg.
"you don't have to apologize, egg. you were completely right. i was being an idiot."
"i'm not apologizing," egg said with a short laugh, though his eyes were earnest. "i just mean... don't do it again. if things get heavy next semester, or if the retakes get insane, you don't go ghost on us. parrot will literally track you down with a spreadsheet, flame will break your door down, and i'll just be mad."
"deal,"
wemmbu said, a genuine smile finally breaking across his face.
"no more ghosting."
the campus library basement was as quiet as a tomb and smelled heavily of old paper, floor wax, and metal shelving. for four straight hours.
wemmbu pushed heavy wire carts loaded with abandoned textbooks through narrow aisles, checking off call numbers and sliding books back into place. it was tedious, repetitive work, but the mechanical rhythm was strangely calming.
every book returned felt like a small, tiny piece of order restored to a life that had been spinning out of control for months.
by 3:45 pm, wemmbu was wiping down the check-out counter in the main lobby, his eyes darting to the digital clock on the wall every thirty seconds.
3:52 pm.
3:55 pm.
his phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
wemmbu pulled it out so fast he nearly dropped it onto the linoleum floor. his heart did a familiar, violent thud against his ribs as he stared at the screen.
From: university housing & registrar office subject: official status update - emergency petition section 4b
his thumb hovered over the notification. his hands were shaking again, the old fear creeping back in for one terrifying second - what if the board rejected minute's signature? what if lettuce's group got the house after all?
he forced himself to tap the screen.
dear student,
the university administrative board has officially reviewed and approved your section 4b emergency petition for academic stay and program reinstatement, sponsored by department head minute.
your student status has been updated to active (conditional). your housing hold has been cleared, and your off-campus lease extension for unit 4b has been verified for the upcoming term.
please ensure all work-study logs and academic check-ins are submitted bi-weekly to retain this status.
wemmbu let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding for a month. he leaned back against the circulation desk, letting his head bump gently against the wooden paneling, a dizzying wave of relief washing over him.
his phone buzzed again, this time bursting with rapid fire messages from the group chat.
Poke : @wemmbu YO DID YOU GET IT???
FireFragments : parrot's literally staring at his inbox like a hawk
FireFragments : answer the chat wem
Egg : tell me you got the email
parrot x2 : status update required immediately.
wemmbu typed back with rapid fingers, his grin wide enough to hurt his cheeks.
gambit : approved. lease is locked
the chat exploded into a chaotic mess of emojis and all-caps text messages. seconds later, parrot sent a picture of the dining room table - completely cleared of all the poster boards and highlighter pens, replaced with three delivery pizza boxes and a 2-liter bottle of soda.
parrot x2 : get back to the apartment. we have a lease to sign and an essay to celebrate.
wemmbu pocketed his phone, pulled his hoodie hood over his head, and pushed open the heavy glass doors of the library into the cool evening air. the sun was setting over the campus skyline, painting the clouds in streaks of deep orange and purple.
he wasn't out of the woods yet - he still had twenty hours of library shifts a week, a mountain of retakes, and a GPA to pull out of the dirt. but as he walked down the stone steps toward the apartment where five people were waiting for him, he knew he wasn't carrying any of it alone anymore.
the walk back to the apartment felt lighter with every block. the autumn chill was still sharp in the air, but the crushing weight that had been sitting on wemmbu’s chest for the last month was finally gone.
when he unlocked the front door, he was immediately greeted by the smell of hot pepperoni pizza and the chaotic, overlapping noise of four different conversations happening at once.
"he's back!" spoke shouted from the living room, waving a slice of pizza in the air. "the legend who survived the library basement!"
egg grinned, tossing a spare paper plate across the table toward wemmbu.
"sit down, bro. parrot was about to start a countdown timer if you were two minutes late."
"i was not setting a timer,"
parrot said smoothly from his spot at the head of the table, though his laptop was open next to a stack of official housing documents. "i was merely preparing the signature page. we have precisely forty-five minutes to sign the lease renewal and upload it to the portal before the registrar office system updates at six."
wemmbu pulled out a chair, sinking into it with a tired but real laugh. "give me the pen, parrot."
flame slid a sleek black pen across the wood, leaning against the counter with a cup of water. "read the fine print first, wemmbu. make sure parrot didn't sneak in a clause where you have to do his laundry for the rest of the semester."
"that was clause 5c, but i removed it out of goodwill,"
parrot deadpanned, without breaking character.
wemmbu picked up the pen and flipped to the last page of the four-bedroom lease. right next to egg’s, flame’s, and spoke’s signatures was an empty line with his name printed neatly beneath it. he took a deep breath, pressed the pen to the paper, and signed his name in firm, clear strokes.
egg watched him sign, a small, quiet nod passing between the two of them. no more hiding, no more silent treatment, no more trying to fix everything alone.
"alright, it's official," parrot announced, clicking the final submit button on his laptop screen. a green checkmark popped up on the campus housing portal: LEASE RENEWAL COMPLETE — UNIT 4B. "we have the house for next year."
spoke let out a dramatic cheer, grabbing a soda bottle to toast. "to unit 4b, and to wemmbu actually talking to us when he's stressed instead of going full ghost mode!"
"to unit 4b," flame agreed, raising his glass.
"to unit 4b," egg echoed, smiling over at wemmbu.
wemmbu grabbed his own slice of pizza, looking around the cluttered, noisy dining room. the work-study hours were going to be exhausting, the academic retakes were going to be brutal, and his schedule was going to be packed to the brim.
but for the first time in months, as he sat surrounded by his friends in the warm apartment, he felt completely ready for it.
the evening rolled into night, and for the first time in weeks, the apartment felt alive instead of tense.
by 8:00 pm, the initial wave of high energy had settled into a quiet, comfortable rhythm. spoke was crashed out on the far end of the sofa, fast asleep with his phone still resting on his chest. flame was sitting on the floor leaning against the coffee table, quietly scrolling through his laptop as he checked his work schedule for the upcoming week.
at the dining table, parrot was meticulously stacking the blank forms and leftover draft papers into a neat pile, filing them away into his binder as if closing out a major case.
"you should probably get some sleep too, wemm," egg said, pulling a mug of warm tea from the microwave and leaning against the kitchen counter. "you've been up for over thirty hours."
wemmbu sat back in his chair, staring at the green confirmation screen still glowing softly on parrot's laptop.
"yeah. in a minute. i just... i still feel like if i blink, I'm going to wake up back in my room three days ago."
"well, you're not,"
egg said softly, walking over and setting a hand on the back of wemmbu's chair.
"it's done. minute signed it, mrs. squiddo stamped it, and the portal updated. you're stuck with us for another year."
wemmbu let out a quiet breath, the last lingering trace of anxiety finally dissolving out of his shoulders.
"i can live with that."
flame looked up from his screen, tapping his knuckles against the table. "first library shift is monday morning, right?"
"eight am," wemmbu nodded. "twenty hours a week."
"i'll wake you up at seven," flame offered with a slight smirk. "and if you don't answer, i'm dumping a cup of cold water on your face. no exceptions."
"fair," wemmbu laughed gently.
he stood up, his legs aching from exhaustion, and pushed his chair back under the table. he looked around the room, at spoke snoring on the couch, flame balancing his job and classes, parrot organizing his endless schedules, and egg standing right beside him.
he walked down the short hallway to his bedroom, stepping inside. for weeks, this room had felt like a cage he was trapped in, surrounded by unopened textbooks and unread notifications. but as he pulled back the blanket and sank into the mattress, listening to the muffled sound of egg and flame talking softly in the living room, it just felt like home again.
wemmbu closed his eyes, and within seconds, he was fast asleep.