Chapter Text
James couldn’t tell if he was the luckiest man in the world or if God was testing him.
He had been excited for college. Excited for the fresh start, the new people, and the chance to get away from his parents. And yes, he’d promised himself he would focus on his work and do better than he did in high school—but he couldn’t help but be particularly excited about the hot new faces he’d be seeing every day on campus. He knew himself well enough to know it wouldn’t be long before he folded and started pursuing people. It was an exhilarating thought.
But he took a deep breath. Not yet.
His mom said that if he did well in his first semester, he would be able to pick up a theater minor. Of course, he wanted to major in theater, or music, or dance, or anything but business. But nobody told his mom no, and she was the one paying. So, all he could do was convince his mom he could handle minoring in theater and still do fine in his major. She had no faith, it was clear, and that made him want to prove her wrong more.
So, as much as it pained him, no pretty girls. No hot guys. No devilishly attractive people that fell in between. For now.
He needed to keep it in his pants, which was something he was never really good at doing. But he could if he tried. He had to.
And then he walked into his dorm and literally paused as he saw the cutest guy he’d ever seen in his life, with his face in a book.
He was wearing khakis and a plaid sweater vest over his shirt. James had to stop himself from biting his lip when he saw how the guy’s sleeves were practically begging for mercy. His arms were incredibly muscular. He had all his things completely unpacked, it seemed. He lay atop navy bedsheets; his desk had a bunch of textbooks neatly stacked, a coffee machine already hooked up, some miscellaneous posters scattered around his half of the wall, and was that a hockey stick in the corner?
“Um, hi?” James already didn’t recognize his own voice. It was missing its confidence, but fuck, was he weak for nerdy dudes? He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m James. I guess we’re roommates.”
Logan looked up with the brownest doe eyes he had ever seen, and he already felt himself getting lost in them. Then, he smiled up at him, and James felt his knees get weak.
Dimples. Oh, god.
“Nice to meet you, James. I’m Logan.” He said as he pushed himself up and looked down at James' suitcase. “Is that all you brought?”
“Oh, no, I have, like, five more in my car.”
“Five? Damn. Want some help?” Logan asked.
“I’ll…do it later.”
“Oh, okay, sure,” Logan responded sheepishly.
They just kind of looked at each other for a while until James forced himself out of his trance. He was James Diamond. Why was he getting so flustered? He could sweep Logan off his feet.
“I think we should get to know each other if we are going to be living together, y’know?” James smirked as he spoke. So much for his plan to stay focused. He needed this man. But, he wouldn’t be able to progress without at least knowing more than his name. “What's your major—”
“I got your last box, Logie!” James jumped at the exclamation behind him and turned to see a tall, dirty blonde. “Oh! Are you the roommate? Hey, man.”
“Thanks, Kendall,” Logan said as he got up. “I can organize these myself. I’m sure Katie probably wants to go home by now.
The dirty blonde—Kendall, apprenlty—smiled and grabbed Logan's shoulders, shaking him a bit. “M’kay. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“Promise?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Promise.”
“Alright, I love you.” The blonde ruffled his hair, messing it up a bit, and then kissed the crown on his head. “Bye!” He called out as he left.
James stared at the door for a few seconds once it shut and then looked down towards Logan. “Boyfriend?”
“What?” Logan asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Him. Is he your boyfriend?”
Logan blinked, then seemed to catch up. “Oh! No, no, he’s my best friend. I've lived with his family for a while, though, so we’re basically family.”
James would be lying if he said he wasn’t internally celebrating. He'd also be lying if he said he didn't have a few questions.
“What was it you were saying before, James?” Logan asked. James liked the sound of his name on the shorter man’s lips.
“Your major?”
“Right, right. I’m in pre-med.”
“Wow, smart.” Wow, hot. Smart people have always been the hottest, in James’s humble opinion. But pre-med probably also meant responsibilities. He hoped Logan wouldn't be uptight. “Must be a big commitment. I’m kind of a stay-up-late kind of guy, so I don't know if that'll be a problem.”
“Me too,” Logan said, and James felt relieved. “Party guy?” Logan asked.
And James almost lied because he really wanted Logan to like him, and he’s sure future doctors aren’t the party animal type. But he didn't. “Yeah, kinda. I won’t be too loud coming in late, though.”
“You’re good. I like parties, too.”
“Cool.” James wanted to know everything about him. More than: He has a “smart-person major”, he likes parties, and he's stunningly beautiful.
“Wait, what’s your major?”
“Business,” James frowned.
“Oh, you want to be a businessman?”
“Hardly,” James huffed. “My mom wants me to take over her business one day. I want to be a singer. Or an actor.”
“Oh! My ex is an actor!” Logan smiled…for some reason. When James just blinked, Logan rushed to continue. “That was weird, wasn’t it? I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. She’s the coolest! She goes here. I was just thinking maybe she could help you, but it came out strange. She really is an incredible actor; I’m sure she wouldn't mind helping you out. I can’t promise you won’t get hit, though. She’s super method and intense. Ugh, I’ll shut up. Bleep blop bloop.”
James stared for a moment, processing Logan’s blubbered response. Logan was a little red now, and James felt his heart hammering. He really wanted to grab him by the face and kiss him so he'd stop rambling, but that'd be uncouth at best. He didn't even know if this guy even liked men, but he was nerdy, cute, and awkward, and James was only a man who could handle so much.
“That would be really cool.” James decided to spare any future spiral and changed the subject. “You play hockey, huh?” He certainly had the body for it.
“Yeah, I love hockey. You play too?”
“I do. I didn’t know they had a rink here, though.”
“Yeah! It’s huge. I want to join the team, but I think I should focus on my classes.” Logan shrugged. “Hey, this is a really straightforward question, but do you have any, like, rules for your space? I don’t want to step on any toes.”
James shot him another smirk. “You the nervous type?”
“I suppose. Depends on the situation.”
“Really, just don’t touch my hair products. Oh, and I need my fan on to sleep.”
“Noted.”
“You?”
“I’m really neat. Like, I really can’t handle messes.” James would have to try his best not to be a mess, though he didn't really believe in himself in that regard. “I don’t mind you using my coffee machine or anything.” James didn’t like coffee much. “And I don’t mind you having girls over; just let me know so I don’t waltz in.”
James nodded. He’d probably have to come out to him eventually. In case his plan to charm Logan doesn't work, and he ends up bringing people over who aren't just girls.
“Oh, also,” Logan began as he opened a drawer. “Is this going to be a problem?” He pulled out a box and opened it, revealing a bunch of pre-rolled joints. "If not, I'll probably be less nervous company if you want to join me in my car later. We'd have to drive off campus, though. I'm not looking to get in trouble for drug possession on my first day."
James must have been the luckiest man in the world, because if god was testing him, he was going to fail.