Chapter Text
Jay had just freed his hands when the other pinned him down again, this time by the shoulders.
“Quit stealing my damn stuff,” Cole growled up close into Jay’s face. It seemed hopeless, Jay believed he would have to give up once again and return the shirt to its owner. Cole glared into the thief’s blue eyes, slowly but surely losing himself in them. His features softened gradually while Jay looked back at Cole. Though over time, both their gazes wandered off to each other’s lips.
Before they knew it had they closed the gap between themselves in a gentle kiss. The fury that had been burning in raven had died down as he completely lost himself in the sweet lock of lips with auburn. Cole carefully shifted his weight to no longer pin Jay down by the shoulders and instead rested on his forearms to either side of the other. Jay took that opportunity to sling his arms around Cole’s neck with his fingers teasingly sliding up into the dark curls.
They both sunk deeper into the kiss, refusing to pull away for even a second.
Thud
Cole toppled backwards and into the grass below. He laid flat on the ground as he tried coming to his senses.
A blonde head towered over him. They moved one of their hands off of their hips to offer it to the fallen man. “You good down there, Cole?”
“I.. guess?” He took up on the offer and let himself be pulled back onto his feet. Cole did not get much time to collect himself before the coach had caught up to him. “Brookstone, what the hell was that?!"
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gabler. I-“
“You can’t daydream on the field. Get your head back on track or sit on the bench!”
“.. yes, sir.” Cole looked down on the ground as Gabler left to check on the other players.
CJ gave him a worried look as they patted him on the back. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. Coach just got a shit day. We’ll take it easy for the rest of training today.”
Cole picked up the pigskin without a word. The tall blonde understood and left the other to get back to their original position that they both could continue tossing the ball back and forth at each other.
**
Players were getting out of their sweaty sports clothes, showering off the dirt and grime from training and changing into more comfortable everyday clothes before saying goodbye to their teammates and leaving the locker rooms. Only a handful of them took longer than the rest, staying behind as it was now much quieter. Usually, CJ and Cole were part of the former group. But Cole was moving so sluggish and lethargic that he ended up being one of the last few to leave for the day. CJ had waited outside for him, and their worry for the other grew as they saw the tired look on his face.
“Hey,” CJ spoke up, “you.. obviously don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t wanna. But is like, something bothering you?”
Cole shrugged, “Sorta?..” He began to walk down the path to the dorms, CJ quickly following beside him.
“Is it your dad again?”
“Nah, he hasn’t bothered me in a while, luckily.”
CJ furrowed their brows for a moment. “Then what is it?”
They awaited any form of response, be it an actual answer to their question or him saying that he didn’t want to talk about the topic anymore. Cole was hesitant to open his mouth. He wasn’t sure how to truly put it into words. Was it really a crush, or maybe just his mind messing with him?
“Ah,” Cole waved off CJ, “maybe some other time.”
“Well, okay. But either way, you should try to fix whatever is on your mind. I don’t think the coach will go easy on you next time you get knocked down by a ball.”
“I know, I know.”
The pair entered the dorm building, climbing the first few flights of stairs before their ways would part. “See you tomorrow,” Cole waved to say goodbye.
CJ furrowed their brows. “We don’t have training tomorrow.” Then a grin tugged at their lips, “but you could join me for my jog if you’d like.”
“Fuck off with your damn jogs, I don’t get up at such disgusting hours,” Cole groaned and turned to flee from the conversation before CJ would continue to bother him even more.
CJ shrugged. “Suit yourself,” they called after him and continued to climb the flights of stairs to their own floor.
Upon entering the room, Cole set his sports bag down in its usual spot by the door. He wanted to just crawl into bed and do nothing anymore, he was mentally and physically exhausted.
“Ah,” Jay’s voice rang cheerfully, “you’re finally back! What took you so long?”
Cole perked up upon hearing his roommate. For a moment, he had completely forgotten that he shared the room with someone else. “Just felt a bit sore from training today.”
“Was he being too rough again? Maybe you should tell him-“
“It wasn’t Gabler,” raven cut auburn off. “I just wasn’t focused and fell on the grass. That’s all.”
Jay stared at Cole with a concerned look. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head when you fell?” He searched all over his roommate for cuts or bruises while rambling on. Cole pursed his lips and closed his eyes, knowing Jay would get up close to get a proper look. But his composure was being tested when he felt his cheeks being touched. Raven was hesitant to open his eyes, already expecting exactly what he then saw, Jay holding his face and moving it from side to side to ensure he did not miss anything.
“Hmm,” Jay hummed quietly to himself, “You look fine to me.” But he didn’t let go yet, nor did his eyes let off the man’s face in his hands. As much as he tried to resist, Cole took the opportunity to get another close look at Jay’s face, this time without any anger coursing through him. He adored the freckles across his nose and cheeks, the light curls in the auburn strands of hair, the earring shining through ever so slightly. Admiring the face which was inspecting him so closely with a previously present look of worry slowly fading away.
The blue eyes finally met with the brown eyes. Jay offered a warm smile. Cole wanted to tug his lips up into a smile as well, but only then noticed that he was already smiling. He wondered for how long he had been doing that for.
Slowly, Jay pulled his hands back from Cole’s face again. “And why couldn’t you focus on training today?” he asked curiously. Raven nearly dropped his smile at the question.
“I was.. still thinking about class earlier, that’s why.”
Auburn nodded slightly. He kept eye contact with the other for a while longer, making Cole wonder whether Jay was actually onto him.
“I was thinking of getting some dinner from that new noodle place down the road,” Jay then quickly changed the topic, “wanna come with me?”
Cole knew that Jay didn’t mean it that way, but he got flustered about the offer anyway. “Sounds interesting, but I’m not feeling like eating dinner now.”
Jay once again looked at Cole with concern in his eyes. “I.. suppose. But don’t forget to eat at least something tonight, alright?”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Cole reassured him and finally gathered the courage to step away to his bed. He could still feel his head and back ache from the impact earlier as he laid down and closed his eyes.
Jay stood in his place for a little while longer, looking at Cole as if he was trying to figure something out. But he eventually made his way over to the door, picking out a jacket and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “See you later then,” he chimed gently.
“Mm, yeah. See ya,” Cole muttered in response. A brief moment later, the door fell shut again.
**
He wasn’t sure when he had woken up, let alone how many times throughout the night. All that raven remembered from the first time he had been awake was hearing some faint footsteps, rustling sounds, and the smell of warm food. Noodles, if he had to guess. The times after that had been dead silent.
And now, Cole laid awake in bed once more. Just that he couldn’t fall asleep anymore. He reached for his phone to check the time. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the flashbang of screen brightness before he could read.
6:13 AM
Cole groaned under his breath and put the phone down again. He could not believe he was really going to get up two hours before his alarm was set to go off. But what else was he going to do, if he was not going to sleep, he may as well get up and do something.
He crawled out of bed, trying to stay quiet as Jay was still fast asleep in his own bed. Cole envied him for it, but was also glad he wouldn’t get his roommate worried all over again. He snuck around the room to find anything to pass the time with. That’s when raven noticed a plastic bag set on his desk with a note.
“Had some leftovers, you can have them
“-Jay”
Cole took the takeout box from the bag. It was filled to the brim with delicious looking noodles and thinly sliced pork chops on top. He was surprised how good it still looked and smelled after laying around for so long.
The sweet gesture made him feel flustered all over again as a cozy warmth spread in his chest. He could already notice how his mind was starting to drift off into daydreams, the same ones which had gotten him into trouble during training. Cole had to do something to distract himself if he wanted to clear his mind.
Looking around the room, he could not find anything really helpful for him to occupy himself with. Then his eyes landed on his sports shoes by the door. Cole couldn’t believe he was about to do this, but there was not really any other option for him left.
Reluctantly and quietly changed raven into some sports clothes, grabbed his keys and left the dorm to head downstairs.
As expected, CJ was already outside doing warm up stretches. They stopped however when they saw their teammate approaching. “What are you doing here? Changed your mind?”
“I can’t sleep and I need to do something, so I might as well join,” Cole grumbled and started warming up his muscles.
CJ’s face dropped a little, “Dude, I was joking.”
“Well I wasn’t.”
The blonde was still stunned for a moment. “Alright,” they muttered, “if you want to come along, be my guest.”
They both soon began to run down the left hand path towards the IT and engineering building. The pace was easy going, but Cole still felt too tired to keep up that speed for a long time. Lucky for him, CJ stopped at a corner just before they would have rounded the building.
“Why are we stopping?”
“That was just a warm-up,” CJ told him, “we’ll just do a few more stretches and then actually go running.”
Cole didn’t know how long the route would be, so he blindly copied his teammate in their stretches. He bent over in an attempt to wake his back and leg muscles, but as he came back up to look over at CJ, they were just standing around looking off into the distance. Cole tried to follow their gaze and quickly understood.
Just as he looked up at the second dorm building ahead of them came two guys walking out onto their balcony. One was a pale redhead, the other an Afro American with absurdly long dreadlocks. The redhead looked vaguely familiar to Cole, maybe he has seen them in passing before.
CJ waved up at them, and the man with the dreads waved back happily. It took him a moment, but Cole soon came to recognize him.
“You just wanted to say hi to your boyfriend,” he nudged CJ teasingly.
“It’s become part of my morning routine. I can’t just abandon it.”
“Whatever you say, Casanova.”
CJ finally turned back to Cole again, giving him a curious look. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same, jerk.”
Their words did summon the relentless daydreams in raven again.
Jay standing on that very balcony, smiling down at Cole as they waved at each other every morning.
Cole shook his head quickly. “Fuck off,” he cursed at CJ and decided for them both to just continue their run around campus.
**
With no regard for any people possibly still sleeping trudged Cole back into his room. While the run had definitely kept him too busy to get lost in any fantasies, it also left him sweaty and exhausted. At least there still would be time for a shower and breakfast before his class was set to begin.
His eyes lit up the moment Cole remembered the leftovers Jay had brought him. The bag and takeout box were still exactly where he had left them earlier. Actually, everything still stood where it should be, except Jay was no longer in bed, or in the room at all for that matter. At least that would mean Cole could eat his food without any distractions.
He sat down quickly and dug into the food with the chopsticks that had been added to the bag. Just one bite in, and raven already felt as if he were in heaven. The noodles had the perfect smooth texture and a subtle taste, not trying to trump any of the cut veggies or soy bean sprouts but instead elevating them. And the pork chops still were rich in flavour, tender and juicy despite the time it had spent in the box.
Cole savoured every single bite of his meal. He could only imagine what a treat this would be if it were served hot and fresh on his plate. Though either way, the portion felt way too small for his big stomach. But he didn’t need to be completely full in the morning, just enough food to make it possible to concentrate during lectures.
Cole checked the time. It would have to be a quick shower if he wanted to walk to class, but he could make it work.
He got up from the desk, tossing the trash into the bin and collected a towel and some new clothes from his drawer. The door opened, and raven was immediately greeted by auburn’s cheery voice.
“I was already wondering where you’ve been!”
Cole perked up and smiled at his roommate. “Just went out for a run, had a bit too much energy to spare that early in the day.”
“Jeez,” Jay shook his head, “I don’t understand how you could make yourself do that at all.” His eyes then wandered around the room for a moment. He noticed the bag no longer laying on Cole’s desk, smiling at him again. “So you found the leftovers I got you?”
“Oh yeah, they were amazing. Thank you for that.”
“Hey, I’m just glad the food didn’t go to waste, and I knew you wouldn’t say no to good noodles for breakfast.”
That same warmth he had felt earlier this morning spread through Cole’s chest once more. And while the rational part of his mind was telling him to not indulge in this and worsen his hopeless crush, the love struck side wanted him to ask anyway.
“Maybe we could go out?”
Cole choked on his words as soon as they had left his mouth.
“To like, uhm, eat at that restaurant together this time! I wanna know what else they got on the menu.”
The smile on Jay’s lips spread into a big toothy grin, seemingly holding back a laugh before it died down again. “I’d love to go out, but I have a closing shift today, so I don’t have much time for eating out tonight. Sorry.”
“Oh,” raven muttered, “well that’s unfortunate.. I guess I’ll have to go there by myself then.”
Auburn nodded in agreement. “I’m sure we’ll find time someday to go to Chen’s Noodle House together, just not today.”
“All good, I know how busy you are after all.” Cole offered a smile to show he was not upset about his invitation being turned down. “Then I’ll see you around.”
“At the latest tonight.” Jay waved his roommate goodbye, beginning to collect all he needed for class while Cole left for the shower rooms.
Hot water rained down on Cole from the shower head. He stood with his forehead resting against the still cool tiles on the wall as the last bit of sweat from his run was being washed off. But he still felt tense, his mind a never ending mess of noise.
The declined invitation was not a problem, he could live with a ‘maybe later’ just fine. What was on his mind was how easily he melted when talking to Jay. Every little smile or friendly gesture from auburn made raven’s chest feel warm and fluttery, sent his head spinning for hours. If he couldn’t be around his roommate, all he wanted to think about was him.
Cole wanted to do something nice for Jay too. He just had to figure out what.
**
The minute hand on the lecture hall’s clock ticked once more to the right, and all the students packed up to leave if they hadn't done so already. Cole was eager to get out of the building. He had only listened with one ear the whole time and rather drawn squiggles on his paper than to take actual notes. And knowing that there was freshly made food waiting for him just a few minutes away from campus wasn’t a good insensitive to keep him here longer than necessary either.
His phone dictated the direction he’d need to go, though the path was very straight forward; go off campus and follow the main road left for a bit, then take the first turn left again. And as soon as the restaurant had come into view was raven’s stomach practically growling with anticipation.
Cole walked in and looked around the big floor. The walls were lined with tables and seats back to back, making room for the big belt in the center with even more tables. New plates of food were put on the belt by a small crew of cooks while waiters served different meals to the outer tables from another kitchen.
Cole was already torn on what to try first, and he didn’t even have the chance to see a menu yet. But his food trance was broken by a waitress welcoming him by the entrance, “Welcome to Chen’s Noodle House! Table for one or are you expecting company?”
“Ah, no no. I’m by myself,” he responded quickly.
The waitress nodded, “Then please follow me, sir.” She led him past several tables of groups eating together and then finally presented raven a seat right by the belt. “I will come back in a few minutes for your drink order,” she announced with a friendly smile before disappearing again.
Cole picked up the menu waiting for him on the table and flipped through the pages. Every single meal option got his mouth to water even more. What intrigued him was the ‘Mixed Plate’ offer, letting him order one large meal from the kitchen and have four more small plates off the belt. It seemed perfect for a big eater such as him.
The waitress soon returned to take his order, a large drink and a plate of fried noodles with chicken. As he waited for the main course to arrive, Cole watched all the delicious appetizers, side dishes and desserts rolling past him on the belt. It certainly did not help with his hunger to see all that mouthwatering food within his reach. And eventually, he gave in and picked up a small appetizer for himself. According to the text on the plate, these were the puffy potstickers. They looked to be some kind of dumplings, but they tasted nothing like the ones he’s had before. There was something different about the taste, in the best possible way imaginable. Cole could see himself just eating a load of these as a lunch snack between classes.
And just as his appetizer plate was empty, the waitress returned with a much bigger one to his table. As expected, the meal looked and smelled like an absolute dream to Cole. Just the first taste test already had him wanting more. The fried noodles were crispy and worked incredibly well with the sweet and sour sauce, and the chicken pieces had their own distinct flavour, which both worked well when combined with the sauce or on their own.
He continued to happily feast on the noodles and the other smaller meals he picked up from the belt, ending on a high note for dessert; a chocolate mousse cake slice.
Cole waited for the waitress to ask for his bill, flipping through the menu once more to pass some time. And as he let his eyes wander across the pages, raven got an idea. He could bring Jay some dinner to his work.
“Was everything to your liking?” The waitress asked as she stopped by the table.
Cole answered with a nod, his eyes still glued to the menu for another second. “Absolutely,” he told her. “Just one quick thing before I’d like to pay, could I order something for takeout?”
“Yes of course. What would you like?”
“I’ll have.. the fried rice with spring rolls.”
The waitress nodded and left, returning after a short wait with a takeout box in a bag and the bill. Cole could not be bothered to calculate an exact tip off the top of his head, his mind was already elsewhere. Thus, he simply put some money on the table that was at least enough to cover the meals and left the restaurant with the warm meal in hand.
Just a couple of houses further down the road was the café Cole frequented, Cathy’s Coffee Corner. He always wondered about the name, the café was not even close to a street corner. But that never stopped him from coming, the coffee and delicious sweet pastries all made up for the weird branding.
Cole paid no mind to the people sitting on the couches or at tables, he simply queued to get to the counter. During his wait, raven could see auburn rushing back and forth every so often. He was busy cleaning out the coffee maker, refilling the fresh grounds to make new cups of coffee, then repeating the process over and over. He barely had any time to look up from his work.
Before he knew it was Cole at the front, an unfamiliar face talking to him across the glass display, “Welcome to Cathy’s Coffee Corner, what can I get you?”
“Could I talk to Jay real quick?”
The barista furrowed her brows at him. “Sir, you can order through me. My colleague is busy with his work.”
Cole felt awkward having to explain himself, but what choice did he have. “No, I know. I’m friends with him, I just-“
In that moment pushed Jay past his colleague, his surprised face quickly lighting up with a big smile. “Cole! What are you doing here? I thought you were gonna eat out tonight!”
Seeing the freckled face shine with happiness had Cole feeling warm in his chest all over again. He wanted to see Jay smile this brightly every day.
“I did,” he responded, then held up the takeout bag, “And I brought you something as well.”
It seemed impossible, but Jay’s face lit up even more. He reached over the counter to take the bag from Cole and looked inside.
“Since you told me you’d be here until closing, I thought it’d be a good idea to bring you some dinner. Then you don’t have to worry about it after work.”
Auburn looked back up at raven, his smile still bright on his lips. “That is so sweet of you. What do I owe you for this?”
“Nothing,” Cole told him. “Let’s say we’re even, since you brought me some food yesterday too.”
Jay nodded in agreement. They both clearly wanted to chat more, but Cole knew he was holding up the line, and the annoyed look on the other barista’s face made him not want to stay much longer either.
“Have a good rest of your shift, and enjoy your dinner,” Cole waved to Jay before leaving.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Jay called after him, the cheerfulness in his voice being impossible to miss.
Cole walked out and back towards campus. But he stopped for a moment after just a few houses, burying his face in his hands. He could feel the heat burning in his cheeks, and the warmth had spread from his chest to nearly all of his body.
He not only wanted Jay to smile this wide every day, he wanted to be the reason to make the other this happy.
Cole wanted to have more time to look at this adorable smile, memorize every freckle, every crease that cute face made when it scrunched up into those expressions that made raven melt every time. He wanted to have the courage to hold Jay as well, have his hands carefully lay on the body that looked so much more fragile in comparison.
Cole wanted to be with Jay. But he didn’t know how to make it happen.