Chapter Text
"Hey dude, pizza?" Marko asks. He's lying on his bed, legs against the wall and arms hanging off the bed.
"Yeah sure." Jack responds from his spot on the floor.
Jack slowly gets up and picks Marko up from the bed, after he makes grabby hands, and they make their way out of their dorm. The two of them had just gotten to college and as excited as they were to be there together, they were finding themselves bored with the amount of free time they had in the days before classes started.
The most movement they did was when they left the room to get pizza. Or attend a welcome event put on by the school that they leave early to go get pizza.
They figured they'd have enough time in classes to meet new people and make friends so for now they just enjoy being together.
Too many people are around as today is some other event meant for the freshmen. It looks hella boring. They walk around the crowds outside and step off campus. They don't have that far a walk because any given direction off campus has at least three pizza places in the vicinity.
They walk into one they haven't been yet to compare, and as per their usual routine, Jack goes up to order while Marko decides which table is the most "prime" and claims it.
This time Jack finds Marko still standing around the tables staring down a group of people hard.
"What's up dude?" Jack asks.
"Dude. This is the best table, it's placed near an air vent so it's cool but not too close that it's freezing, it's by a window but not directly in the path of the sun so there's no chance of being blinded, AND it is by far the cleanest with the least worn booth seats. It is SO fucking prime, dude!" Marko explains, still staring at the people currently seated there. They also look like students but maybe a little older, either way Jack was starting to feel wack about the elongated staring
"Well, there're people there that we are staring at and you just gestured very obviously at them so now I'm thinking that we need to pick another table." Jack explains.
"Noooooooooo, can't we just… uuuugh" Marko whines. "Let's just ask to share the table!"
"I don't know if that'll work but–" Aand he's off. Jack thinks as he watches Marko's back as he dashes over to the table. He trails behind but joins him over to hear Marko already making his case for sharing a table at an almost empty restaurant.
"...I mean this table is PRIME dude, it just has to be shared!" Marko finishes the explanation Jack assumes he just gave him.
"Damn bro, you know your restaurant seating, this is our regular spot for all those reasons. You can sit with us but we reserve the right to kick you out if you're dicks." The man sitting at the table says.
"Deal!" Marko shouts and takes a seat next to two strangers leaving Jack to awkwardly slide into the seat of the other stranger.
"Sorry to take your table. My name's Jack." He introduces himself, waving meekly and ducking his head in apology. It's immediately waved off by the two men on his opposite side as Marko speaks up.
"I am Marko." He states while proudly placing his hand on his chest.
"Oh dude right! I'm Trent, this right here" he says while patting the man to his left, "is my best friend Chuckie T. Aand that over there is my other best friend Orange Cassidy." Trent finishes.
The question is in Jack's mind but he doesn't even have to ask because–
"We call him that because he eats oranges like a savage!" Chuck says while slamming his hands onto the table. Orange just shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets.
"How does he eat oranges?" Marko asks, dying to know.
"This MOTHERFUCKER, after he's done peeling the orange, HE FUCKING BITES INTO IT WITHOUT TAKING THE SLICES OUT. HE JUST EATS IT IN SPHERICAL FORM!" Chuck explains with lots of wild hand gestures. He is very obviously angry and disgusted and clearly this has been a long standing issue he's had.
Orange shrugs again. "It's easier."
"NO IT IS NOT!" Chuck retaliates.
"Bros, let's not get into this again." Trent intervenes. "It never gets anywhere but either way Orange is weird."
Jack can't seem to come up with a proper response but it seems to not matter because Marko is always there to jump into conversation when he stays quieter.
"I call Jack Jungle boy, you should see this dude climb a tree." Marko bounces in his seat excitedly.
"I'd like to see that." Orange says from Jack's left, already slumped about three inches lower than when he sat up.
Jack smiles and rubs the back of his neck, Orange barely lifting the corners of his mouth to return it.
"Here you go, can I get anything else for you?" The waiter says putting down Trent, Chuck, and Orange's pizza.
"No sir thank you!" Chuck responds, already grabbing a slice.
"You guys can have some if you want." Trent offers.
"No, that's okay, we have one coming." Jack says shaking his head causing his hair to flop around a bit.
"Nah c'mon man we'll share, we're already sharing a table." Chuck says, mouth full of pizza.
Jack and Marko look at each other but Jack breaks the eye contact when he feels a nudge. He looks over to Orange who elbowed him. He gestures with his head towards the pizza, giving Jack approval to eat. Jack just nods his thanks and reaches for a slice. He looks over and Marko already has one in hand and is eating and chatting with Chuck and Trent.
"Quiet ones over there aren't they?" Trent asks.
"Oh yeah Jungle is pretty chill, he only talks when he really needs to or when he wants to say something, otherwise me and Dino know him well enough to talk for him." Marko says.
"Who's Dino?" Chuck asks.
"Oh, he's our dad, he adopted us but we call him Dino because he's HUGE!" Marko emphasizes by raising his arms to the ceiling.
"You're just small." Jack responds. Orange gives the smallest chuckle beside him but it's enough for Jack to hear. Jack smiles at that.
"Hey! I Am Fun Sized. Also, he's 6'5"! You're only 5'10"! Do Not get me started on this again." Marko shakes his head causing his hair to fly around.
"You guys are funny, do you go here?" Trent asks waving in the vague direction of the school.
Jack nods and Marko answers. "Yup! Just got here!"
"Oh cool, we're sophomores, how come you aren't out there doing the welcome stuff?" Trent questions.
"Those are boooring. We've stopped by a few of them but we always leave." While Marko continues on, Jack feels another nudge in his side. Orange starts gathering the cups around the table.
"Help me get refills." He says and hands Jack Marko's cup. Jack nods, grabs his own, and slides out of the booth, Orange following behind him.
He gets Marko his Sprite and refills his lemonade and waits for Orange to get the others.
Orange glances over at him, or Jack assumes, then turns his head back down at the cups.
"You guys seem cool."
"That seems genuine coming from you." Jack states absently, sipping from his drink. Orange tilts his head, small smile playing at his lips.
"What's that mean?"
"You're wearing sunglasses in doors and look like you could care less. That's supposed to be cool right?" Jack explains leaning back on the counter. Orange tilts his glasses down looking directly at Jack attempting to see if Jack was being a dick or not. He pushes his glasses back up.
"Yeah. Why, you into it?" Jack can't see his eyes but he can tell his gaze is joking and Jack scoffs.
"No. I'm aro." Jack freezes as he lets his identity slip out. He didn't like telling that many people. The questions, the assumptions, it was all too annoying. All he needed was Marko and Dino's approval but he ducks his head in nervousness.
Cassidy easily tells Jack's discomfort and he leans a little closer. He takes his glasses off all the way and catches Jack's eyes again before shrugging.
"So am I. Shit joke." Jack's eyes widen before he smiles.
"Really?" Orange nods.
"Will you help me make fun of those guys when they get dates? Not like that happens very often." Jack laughs and shakes his head.
"Sure. Marko's no fun, he's only had a crush on one person and that didn't lead anywhere. Also that was a shit joke." Orange pouts.
"Hey, we're supposed to make fun of them." Orange elbows Jack making him laugh again.
"Jaaaaaack! What's taking so long?!" Marko reaches out for his soda, not wanting to get up.
"Yeah I knew you were a lazy shit but damn!" Chuck chimes in looking at Orange.
Orange nudges Jack again and smiles before putting his glasses back on and walking to the table. Jack follows after rolling his eyes at Marko.
Marko immediately snatches his cup almost spilling it when Jack gets within distance. Chuck does basically the same and takes a long sip.
"Thanks guys." Trent actually acknowledges them and Jack nods before looking to the side.
Another nudge, this time with his foot and Orange slides his phone over with a new contact open. Jack picks it up and types in his number and 'Jack'. He slides it back and Orange picks it up but deletes his name. Jack is confused but when Orange is done typing he flips the phone for Jack to see.
There he has written 'Jungle Boy' and Jack is smiling again. But there is a suspicious silence on the other side of the table. Jack turns his head to see the three other men holding each other and looking way too excited. Orange huffs and slumps more.
"What." Orange isn't really asking but Chuck answers anyway. He wipes an invisible tear away.
"You're just… so shitty at making friends." Chuck tucks his head in Trent's chest who pats him while Marko laughs.
"Shut up, I'm not." Orange's pout is Prominent™ and Jack wonders how often he spends doing that.
"Are too, that's why you're stuck with our shit asses." Chuck reaches over the table and slaps him then tucks himself back against Trent. Jack snorts making Orange cross his arms over his chest.
"My ass isn't shit." Trent says and Chuck looks up at him with a goofy smile.
"Course it is babe, but I still love it." Trent rolls his eyes and Marko smiles. He likes how close they are and wonders if they are together. They chill together for a while until all the pizza is gone and Jack glances down at his phone and notices the time.
"We have to go."
"Noooooooooooo." Marko whines.
"Yeah we can still hang." Trent tries while Chuck looks disappointed beside him.
"Let em go, we'll hang out later." Orange says. Chuck ruffles Marko's hair and Trent gives them both a fist bump. "Bye Jungle Boy."
"Bye Orange Cassidy."
"Bye!" Marko waves and everyone else says their goodbyes before Jack leads Marko out of the restaurant.
"What were you guys talking about for so long?" Marko looks up at Jack, bouncing as he walks, happy from finding new friends.
"I guess he's aro, too." Jack smiles and Marko beams.
"That's cool! They are all really fun! I hope we get to hang out a lot!"
"Me too." Jack agrees and they walk back together looking forward to future time with Chuck, Trent, and Orange.