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It was move - in day ,, and Zanka had never lived in dorms before. He was very ,, very nervous as he stood there ,, clutching his belongings ,, trying to suppress the whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind .
Growing up as a rich kid definitely did not help his case in any way ,, shape ,, or form . The difference between his previous living conditions seemed miles away from the cramped dorm room he would now call home .
Thoughts of whether he would fit in nagged at him ,, flashbacks of awkward school experiences where his background set him apart .
Would he be able to make friends here ?
Would people only see his wealth and not him ?
Every anxious thought seemed magnified in the echo chamber of his mind .
He went into the elevator with his luggage . There were a lot of other people inside the elevator ,, he tried to focus on the paper that was handed to him when he first came in .
Room 210 ,, Zanka Nijiku and Jabber Wonger .
Zanka didn ' t like the idea of having a dorm with someone else . In fact ,, he requested a room for himself because he valued his privacy . He had always appreciated solitude ,, finding it necessary for his mental well - being.
Unfortunately ,, that request wasn ' t granted .
The only other option would be buying an apartment that isn't on campus ,, which would be too far and too expensive . He had to suck it up and deal with it . Hell ,, maybe his roommate isn ' t even that bad !
Yeah ,, no ,, it was bad . Zankas stomach dropped ,, and he hesitated in the doorway ,, torn between stepping inside and turning back .
As soon as he opened the door ,, an overpowering stench hit him like a wall . It was a nauseating mixture of stale sweat and something rotting ,, with an underlying tang of burnt herbs that Zanka couldn ' t quite identify but found disgusting .
The air was thick and damp ,, clinging to his skin as if he walked through a fog of funk . From inside ,, loud music pulsed ,, the fast - paced bass reverberating through the floorboards .
The cacophony of sound and smell overwhelmed him ,, and he knew noise complaints were inevitable this year . Zanka hadn ' t even seen his roommate yet ,, but he could already picture a long ,, miserable year ahead .
Zanka looked around the room ,, trying to hold his breath from the smell. It wasn't a particularly special room .
Although he did notice something that absolutely horrified him . There was only one bedroom . He checked the papers again . One bedroom yet two people ? ! That ' s just absurd . He ' d rather sleep on the petty excuse of a couch than in a shared bedroom .
He wasn ' t sure whether he should knock on the bedroom door ,, go to the office and demand a room change ,, or just leave in general . Maybe an apartment off campus would be better entirely .
Zanka just decided to man up and knock on the door . He took a shaky breath ,, fist lingering close to the wood for a moment as his nerves spiked .
Maybe it was stupid to knock ,, but he didn ' t want to walk into something he would regret .
“ Yo ! Come in ! ”
Zanka took a deep breath before turning the door handle and walking inside . The potent odor was even worse in this room ! He scrunched up his nose and shut his eyes together tightly .
“ Jesus man ,, is that weed ? Why couldn ' t you have opened a window or something ! ” Zanka complained ,, already feeling a headache start to form .
“ Yeah ,, it ' s weed . What ,, you ain ' t never smoked before ? ” The man spoke . So this is Jabber Wonger ,, huh .
Zanka finally opened his eyes to look at the man in front of him . Dark skin ,, long hair ,, purple eyes ,, and a shit - eating grin . Jabber ' s hair is something Zanka had never seen before ; it was long and thick ,, going to his waist . It looked heavy ,, making Zanka wonder if it caused headaches .
His initial surprise gave way to a mix of awe and discomfort . Zanka felt a nervous flutter in his stomach as he took in Jabber ' s striking appearance . The unusual combination of attributes threw him off ,, making him aware of how different this experience was compared to his .
Jabber was wearing baggy pants and a shit ton of wrist and neck jewelry . Every step he took made a bunch of jingling sounds . He had pretty rings too ,, but they looked a bit too small for his fingers . And god ,, his hands were big . His hands could probably cover Zanka ' s entire face .
“ Yo man ,, you gonna keep gawking at me or you gonna introduce yourself ? ” Zanka quickly looked away ,, a bit embarrassed to be caught staring . I mean ,, Jabber was just so . . Different . It was hard not to look .
“ I ’ m Zanka Nijiku . I ’ m 18 ,, I ' m a psychology major . ” Zanka said simply . Jabber nods ,, listening . Jabber looks over Zanka ,, taking in his appearance . He was pretty cute ,, especially for a guy .
“ Aight cool ,, emotions and shit . The names Jabber ,, Jabber Wonger . 19 ,, I major in toxicology . ”
Toxicology huh . . That ' s interesting .
“ Oh ,, alright ,, cool ,, but uh.. About the rooms . . ? ”
“ What about them ? This my side ,, this your side . ”
Zanka breathes deeply .
“ I am not sharing a room with you . ”
“ Well damn ,, fuck you too then I guess . I mean ,, Ion really care to be honest . You gonna have to sleep on the couch then or something . ” Jabber shrugs .
Zanka contemplates . If he has to share a room with this . . hippie ,, he is going to go bat shit insane . Pretty sure they don ' t even allow drugs or alcohol in the dorms !
“ I ' m not sleeping on that damn couch . . Here ,, listen . If we are going to be living together for the next year ,, we need to have some boundaries and rules . ”
Jabber sits on the bed ,, sighing . He already predicted that would happen , he didn ' t mind though . Ground rules and boundaries are a good thing for first getting to live with someone you ' ve never met before .
“ Alright then . “ Jabber looks at Zanka to start listing them . Zanka walks around the room ,, back and forth .
“ Well firstly ,, no smoki - “
“ I gotta stop you right there . “
Zanka pauses ,, sighs ,, and turns to face him . Yeah ,, this is going to be hell .
“ I don ’ t want the room to smell like straight shit anytime I walk in ! Plus ,, there are inspections ! ”
“ Listen ,, I get it ,, but you stressin mad hard . I won ’ t smoke in the bedroom ,, but I ' ll smoke in . . other places . Cool ? ”
Jabber asks ,, trying to reason with Zanka. “ Fuck no ! Okay ,, yeah ,, I ' m not doing this . I ' m changing my damn dorm . ” Zanka starts marching his way towards the door . He is absolutely not putting up with this man .
Jabber grabbed his wrist before Zanka could even get far . His long arms are easily able to stop Zanka from walking away . “ Ya cant ,, ZanZan . They put out an email that they wouldn ' t allow changes two days ago . ”
Zanka sighs . Is he seriously going to have to deal with Jabber all fucking year ?
“ Okay . . Then . . I ' ll sleep on the couch . ” Zanka declared ,, taking his luggage and walking over to the sorry excuse of a couch . He sat down on it and immediately regretted his decision .
He would have to get ready in the bathroom . . Plus ,, he basically wouldn ' t have any type of privacy . The couch is so damn firm and small ,, he wouldn ' t have enough room to be comfortable . However ,, he will not be sharing a room with Jabber Wonger .
── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
2 hours later
── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
Zanka was now in the bedroom ,, opening his luggage and organizing .
“ So Mr . Bad attitude missed me that much ,, huh ? ”
Jabber teased . The music isn ' t loud anymore . It ' s metal just as background music while Jabber does his Jabberish things .
“ Shut up ,, we are still laying boundaries and rules . In fact ,, let ' s get started on that conversation now . “
Jabber sighs ,, already dreading it . Zanka notices but doesn ' t comment on it . The small ounce of self control helped him .
“ Firstly ,, I thought about the smoking more . Just ,, don ’ t smoke in the bedroom . The smell gives me a headache ,, and it ' s just plain disgusting . Open a window or something so the smell isn ' t that bad . ”
Jabber nods ,, this is something he can do . Plus ,, he doesn ' t want to be enemies with his new roommate for the whole damn year ,, that ' s just boring as hell . “ Alright ,, alright. I can do that . “ Zanka nods ,, then continues .
“ The dorm has to stay organized . ”
Jabber takes a deep breath and closes his eyes . Before he can start complaining ,, Zanka starts again .
“ I ' ll do the cooking if you just keep your side organized . ”
“ Deal . “
Zanka smiles to himself ,, finally able to have a conversation with the man .
“ We can set more rules as they come along . I think it would be a smart idea for us to go grocery shopping together so we can meal prep for the week . ” Zanka rambles ,, planning out loud .
“ Alright ,, I ' m down with that . We leaving now ? ” Jabber asks ,, standing up and stretching . His tank top only slightly lifting up ,, showing a bit of skin on his stomach .
“ Sure . Are you going out in . . that ? ” Zanka questions . Jabber looks like a damn hippie . Back in the South ,, everyone would think that he is homeless .
“ What ' s wrong with my fit ? ” Jabber looks down at what he ' s wearing . Baggy pants with patches of numerous colors ,, shapes ,, and sizes with just a normal plain white tank top . The amount of jewelry didn't bother Zanka ,, it actually interested him more than he would like to admit .
“ I guess it ' s fine . I just have never seen anyone wear anything like that . ” Zanka states .
The sad reality is that the South doesn ' t have much variety ,, everyone looks the same everywhere you look . God forbid you do any form of self - expression ,, and damn near everyone would judge .
Growing up ,, Zanka felt the tight grasp of conformity ,, pushing down any attempts to break the mold of what was considered ' acceptable . ' A part of him yearned to experiment ,, but the fear of standing out or being different loomed large over him .
Yet ,, seeing Jabber embrace his individuality so openly stirred a sense of curiosity and a touch of jealousy within Zanka . Zanka shook away the thought . He knew he had to be perfect .
Jabber only nods ,, he doesn ' t relate to Zanka ,, but he knows that people grew up differently . Plus ,, it may be a sensitive topic for Zanka ,, so he decides to just nod and keep pushing . Jabber can use it to his advantage on a different day .
At least for right now ,, he just wants to get some damn food .
“ Alright ,, I ' ll drive ! ” Jabber smiles . “ Um ,, absolutely not ,, you ' re still high . I ' m driving . ”
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They eventually got to the market . Jabber was complaining about how slow and careful Zanka drives the entire time ,, comparing him to a grandpa .
The whole damn ride was chaotic ,, but they thankfully got to their destination uninjured . They were still bickering once they got out of the car and into the store .
They got to the produce section . Zanka was peacefully ( ish ) picking some healthy food options that he can cook with damn near anything . Jabber was watching Zanka work ,, sighing loudly to show his disinterest .
Zanka could only try to ignore Jabber ,, trying not to start something in public . It eventually went quiet ,, Jabber thankfully shutting up .
Zanka got all the fruits and vegetables he needed before turning around to tell Jabber that he was finished at this section .
When Zanka looked back ,, Jabber was gone . Zanka looked around the area ,, still no Jabber in sight . At first ,, he was worried . Then remembered Jabber is a grown damn man . He is reckless ,, but still ,, he can handle himself .
Zanka went to the meat section ,, getting fish and chicken . Chicken was the only type of actual meat he could eat without wanting to gag . Other types ,, like ham or even bacon ,, were just plain disgusting to him .
If Jabber didn ‘ t wander off ,, he would be able to ask him if he wanted something else . Too bad .
He walked around to find rice . It was a bit difficult to find things here since he isn ' t from here ,, but he needs to learn the layout of the store soon ,, since it ' s the closest market to his dorm .
He found a big bag of rice ,, picked it up and dropped it in the cart .
The second he looked up ,, he saw a man staring right in front of him ,, hella close to his face with a grin on his face . Fuck ass Jabber . It scared the shit out of Zanka ,, he slapped Jabber on the shoulder ,, to distance himself but also ground himself from that damn jump - scare .
“ Damn it ,, Jabber ! Don ' t just sneak up on me like that ,, I really could ' ve punched the shit out of you . “
“ Where the hell did you wander off to ? ” Zanka asks ,, then looks down at what Jabber is holding .
A bunch of junk food . Chips ,, Candy ,, Ramen ,, Frozen food ,, and soda . Pure diabetes in his arms . Jabber looked proud too ,, what a damn idiot !
“ I wanted to help out with grocery shopping . Have you tried this candy ? It ' s hella good ,, especially when you high as fuck . ” Jabber rants ,, holding up a bag of bright candy with the stupidest smile on his face .
“ Jabber ,, what the hell . Put this shit back ! This is unhealthy as fuck ,, are you asking for heart disease ? ! “ Jabber sighs and puts an arm around Zanka ' s shoulder . “ Babe ,, you stressin . This ain ' t even that bad ! Plus ,, it ' s not like you gotta eat it . “
Zanka cringed at the nickname . He understood what Jabber said ,, but for some reason ,, a part of him just couldn ' t stop being angry at Jabber's poor excuse of food . It made Zanka sick ,, he barely knows the guy ,, but still ,, for some damn reason ,, he can ‘ t help but be worried about him. It ' s annoying ,, he genuinely hates it .
Zanka stays silent ,, lost in thought , staring at the ground . Jabber notices and puts a hand on his back ,, silently grounding him . Jabber doesn ‘ t want this to be some big deal over his choice of food .
“ What about this ,, we can decide what to keep and what to put back , alright ? ” Jabber asks . Zanka nods ,, he feels better knowing that Jabber isn ‘ t slowly killing himself with his choice of food . Zanka doesn ' t want to wake up to Jabber having a stroke right next to him .
They sort through the junk food that Jabber picked out ,, keeping some and putting back some others . They made sure to buy stuff they needed too . Cleaning products ,, toilet paper , and even a mini vacuum . Zanka plain out just wanted to leave . A shower and a nap would be perfect . The checkout goes surprisingly fast ,, however , they argue over who pays .
“ ZanZan wants to be such a gentleman for me . I already said I was gonna pay , though . ”
“ Shut up ! And you didn ' t say that ! I ' m paying , damn it . ”
── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──
It ended with them both paying for half of the groceries . The car ride home was actually not that bad . Jabber had aux , and Zanka was just too exhausted to yell at Jabber . Jabber brought in the groceries while Zanka showered .
After the well - needed shower ,, Zanka changed into black sweatpants and some random dark blue hoodie . He had on clear - frame glasses too .
Jabber was in the kitchen ,, sitting down on the countertop , still dressed in what he wore out . Jabber hears the bathroom door open ,, he looks up at Zanka .
He hops off the counter and makes his way towards him ,, hella close to his face . “ Since when you been wearing glasses ? ” Jabber asked . Zanka rolled his eyes . “ I ' ve had glasses since I was like 13 , I only wear them in private cause I don ‘ t like them . ”
Jabber pushes the glasses up more ,, leaning a bit in Zanka ‘ s face to look fully at Zanka. “ You look pretty cute in glasses . ” Jabber says ,, as if it ' s the most casual thing in the world .
Zanka ' s face grows red . Flustered and embarrassed . Zanka looks away at the wall ,, unable to hold that piercing stare . Trying desperately not to have Jabber ' s eyes staring into his . Jabber gets closer .
“ Mr . Bad attitude don ‘ t got nothing to say now ? Cat got your tongue ? “ He teased .
Zanka takes a step back until his back slams against the wall . He ' s never had something like this happen before . His heart is beating so damn fast . Jabber is still close ,, looking into his eyes . Zanka finally makes eye contact with him ,, he decided he is absolutely not having something like this going on . Jabber tries to get closer ,, but Zanka puts his hand on his chest ,, pushing him away slightly .
Jabber only pulls away slightly . “ You don ' t fuck with men ? ” He asks casually .
“ I don ' t fuck with you . ” Zanka pushes him away again ,, finally getting free of his grasp . He goes over to the kitchen , trying to do what he came out to do . Meal preps . Nothing else . No distractions .
Jabber hisses at Zanka ' s words . This boy is fiesty as hell . He likes that .
Zanka looks around in the wall cabinets ,, trying to find the large amount of groceries they just bought today. “ Jabber ,, where the hell did you put all the groceries ? ” Jabber walked over where Zanka was standing . Jabber put a hand on Zanka ' s hip as he leaned down ,, looking at one of the floor cabinets . Zanka met his gaze and opened the cabinet . There were just the bags of groceries they bought . All unorganized .
Zanka flicked Jabbers forehead , Jabber grinning. “ You idiot ,, why the hell would you put them all there ! “ He snapped , leaning down to get all the damn bags and organize them . He checked the bags . Thankfully , Jabber put the meat inside the refrigerator .
“ Why you stressin so much over some damn organization ? If it ' s all in one spot , then it ' s just easier to know where everything is ! ” Jabber defends .
Zanka takes a deep breath , not wanting another damn repeat of the market or the bedrooms . “ Here ,, you can keep your shit here . I ' m organizing my stuff and the shared stuff . Cool ? ” Jabber only nods before leaning against a counter .
Jabber observes Zanka moving around the kitchen skillfully , as if he ' s always lived here . Maybe Zanka is just really good at cooking ,, or hella focused . Jabber starts just ranting about random things . Classes ,, teachers ,, things he ' s dreading with college . All that shit . Zanka isn ' t really listening , focused on cooking .
It ' s an honestly peaceful moment for them both . ( aka not trying to kill each other every second . )
Until Jabber wanted attention .
Jabber snaked his hands around Zanka ‘ s waist .
Zanka shuddered at the sudden touch .
“ The hell are you doing ? ” Zanka said calmly , already starting to adjust to Jabbers clinginess .
How damn pathetic .
Jabber leaned closer , close enough for his chest to press against his roommate's back . “ Just watching a natural at work . ” He answered .
“ Pfft , a natural , my ass . "
Zanka believed he wasn ' t anywhere close to a natural . He spent all his time and effort trying to perfect anything that he did . No matter how much he yearns for something , he genuinely believes he would never be as good as a natural talent .
Zanka pushed those thoughts away and focused on making the food . He was able to get a couple of meals prepped for Monday to Wednesday .
He put them in the fridge , feeling a sense of accomplishment .
School starts tomorrow . New environment , new people , new everything . It made him more nervous than he would like to admit .
Hopefully he can rest well tonight . Sleeping in the same room as someone he just met today and especially someone as crazy as Jabber , it wasn ' t likely it was going to be peaceful .