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You sincerely regretted sitting next to Bon Clay in your Intro to Psych lecture on the first day of class six weeks ago. Seriously, how did a dance major have such strong connections to the frat houses? He’d managed to get you, a freshman art student from some podunk island in the North Blue, into a Beta-Psi party last week, no questions asked.
And now…
“You said your last midterm was calc!” Bon whispered, somehow still too loud for the corner of the library you were in. You swore the guy in the spotted hat across the table was glaring at you two.
“Yeah, but you’ve still got your… natural disasters exam?”
Bon sighed dramatically, collapsing onto the table next to you. “Like that’s not going to be the easiest thing in the world. Seriously, if you need a natural science credit you should take it next semester.”
You did need a natural science credit next semester. But that wasn’t the point here.
“Why do you want me to go to this party so bad? I told you, I don’t think they’re my thing.”
Bon pouted. You didn’t have to pretend to be unaffected. Your best friend’s blush blindness really undermined any kind of metaphorical wool he could pull over your eyes.
“But that was because I took you to a Beta-Psi party. Crocodile’s not a lot of fun if you’re not hammered. But T-Lam is different!”
“Shh!” You hushed your friend as his voice naturally got louder. “Come on, let’s go.”
“You’ll go?”
You elbowed Bon and he pouted again. “Okay fine. But let me finish my pitch when we’re outside.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go before that guy kills you.”
Bon glanced at where you were gesturing and snorted. “Law?” Of course he knew that guy too. “Law’s too busy for that. He’s premed.”
Law clicked his tongue and you hurriedly shoved your laptop into your backpack before steering your friend to the door. The weather was too nice to test Bon’s assessment of Mr. Premed.
As you stepped out of the library, the sunlight hit your face and you let out a sigh. Fresh air was so magical.
“What’s so different about T-Lam anyways? You said most of the frats were the same.” You weren’t entirely sure where to go now that your plan of rotting and watching YouTube videos in the library had been foiled. Oh well. Back to the art school it was.
Bon caught you by the arm before muscle memory could take you back to the studio where you’d been rotting since you’d taken your calc exam that morning.
“Nuh-uh. You’re wilting, you need sunlight.”
He patted you on the head, which infuriatingly was only as high as your friend’s shoulder.
“I’m not wilting, you’re just freakishly tall.” You grumbled. “Most of the guys here are.”
A group of what were probably business students exited the building beside the two of you and you made a face.
“Case in point.”
Seriously, what was up with the guys at Grand Line University? Hadn’t they heard of reasonable human anatomy?
Your gaze lingered on the shortest guy in the group. Even though he was a head and a half shorter than the blonde next to him, he was no slouch either. He pulled off his middle part well enough to make you suspicious of his ego. Guys that looked that good usually knew it.
Bon cleared his throat and your face flushed as you tore your eyes away from the retreating group. Your friend’s look made it clear what he thought about your staring.
“What’s different about T-Lam,” Bon said in a voice dripping with poorly disguised amusement. “Is that they’re a mixed frat. Which makes them instantly twenty times less weird than the other frats.”
“What’s that mean?” You asked. “Also wipe that look off your face.”
“What look?!” Bon protested. “This is how I always look? I’m always—“
“Annoying?” You asked.
“You wound me.” Bon sighed. “I was going to say gorgeous. Anyways, a mixed frat just means mixed gender. There’s girls in T-Lam, a surprising amount of premed ones too.”
“If I was a premed student, I’d want easy access to alcohol too.” You mused. “Does that mean their parties are less like clubs?”
“You could say that. They’re kind of like giant game nights with alcohol.”
And hey, that did sound more your speed.
Bon seemed to be able to tell because he tossed an arm around your shoulders.
“They also have better music than Beta-Psi.”
You snorted. “That’s not a high bar to clear. Anything’s better than Daz’s workout beats.”
This turned out to be false.
“You are such a liar!” You groaned as Bon dragged you to the second floor of T-Lam’s house. What was up with all these frat houses being so big in the first place? Grand Line Uni wasn’t even a party school.
You almost tripped over the thick soles of your boots while side-stepping some strangers but managed to not fall flat on your face. You were lucky too, because so far you’d avoided getting pulled into the karaoke circle that was dominating most of the first floor.
“Hey, some of them can sing!” Bon said.
You gave him a dry look as the sophomore who currently had the mic stumbled his way through a Disney song that was definitely out of his range.
“Some of them.” Bon repeated as he pulled you up the stairs. “But you don’t have to listen to them, come on. The second floor’s cooler.”
The second floor seemed to be where most of the gaming was happening. You peeked into the different rooms you passed as Bon led you down the hallway. There was a small crowd playing Jack Box in one room, and another group passing around controllers for Smash Bros in the next.
A few of the doors were closed, which you figured made sense. These must have been people’s bedrooms. One of the closed doors had a rather ominous note stuck to it with the message, ‘TIERING. DO NOT DISTURB. OR ELSE.’
“Where are we going anyways?” You asked as you reached a bend in the hallway.
“The common room. I think Izou’s on duty tonight.”
“On duty…?”
The question died in your throat when you turned the corner and saw the mini mob of people in the room at the end of the hall.
At that very moment someone threw a blue shell and the room exploded in noise.
“AHH FUCK YOU VISTA!”
“Deserved.”
“SUCK IT LOSER!”
“Ooh, free coins!”
“Aw, who’s in last place now?”
The owner of that last voice caught your attention.
“Deuce?”
The blue-haired freshman looked up from where he was seated on the arm of one of the couches.
“Oh! Y/N?”
He nudged the guy in the orange cowboy hat sitting at the edge of the couch, offering you the space as you and Bon approached.
“I’m surprised you’re here.” Deuce said, letting Bon take his old spot on the couch’s armrest. He settled on the wall behind the couch, turning his gaze back to the TV where the race was ending.
“It’s his fault.” You jerked a thumb and Bon who smiled, unbothered by the accusation. Probably because it was true. “Though I wouldn’t have taken you for a frat guy either.”
“What’s so wrong with us?” You jumped a little at the voice right next to you and you turned to find yourself face to face with the freckled guy you’d been staring at when you left the library.
You know, from this distance he looked a lot taller than you’d assumed he was. But maybe that was just the hat.
“Nothing.” You said quickly, because you were self-aware enough to not say something rude while you were sitting in a frat house. “Deu’s just by the book. I didn’t know he knew how to party.”
“Like you’re one to talk.” Deuce snorted. “Y/N, Ace. He’s my… friend. I guess.” Ace made a nose of protest but Deuce talked over him. “He’s the reason I’m here. Ace, this is Y/N. She’s in my writing class.”
“Hi.” You said.
Ace brightened. “Hey! Have you read Deuce’s writing?”
“Uh—”
“Don’t answer that, yoi.” Another voice spoke up from somewhere beside Ace. You straightened and caught the eye of the blonde you’d seen Ace walking with earlier. He gave you a small nod hello as he continued. “Ace’s been trying to see Deuce’s writing since the start of the semester.”
“And he’s been failing.” Deuce said shooting you a pointed look that clearly said you’d better pray you weren’t the reason his friend succeeded.
You ignored him in favor of kicking Bon’s leg, which was nudging yours.
“What?” You hissed when the nudging didn’t stop.
“Nothing.” Bon said pleasantly. Too pleasantly. You wondered if it was a coincidence he’d dragged you to this room in particular. He rewarded your suspicion with a smile.
“Hey, new round.” Someone said, interrupting the silent stare-off between you and your friend. “Who wants to play?”
You kind of wanted to but you weren’t ready to ask yet. Everyone seemed like they knew each other pretty well and it was only dumb luck on your part that you knew someone at the party Bon had dragged you to.
“Hey.” Ace’s voice from your left startled you and you bumped your head into the brim of his cowboy hat. He snorted a little as he offered you the controller. “Want to play?”
“I,”
“Oh she’s going to destroy you guys.” Bon said loudly.
You elbowed him harshly as a good chunk of the room turned to look at your friend—and you.
“Hey, stop exposing me.” You griped. But you did take the controller from Ace. It was running a little hot, whether that was from Ace who’d just been playing or from it overheating was anyone’s guess.
“That’s a lot of confidence, Bon, who’s your friend?” The pretty guy Bon had been talking to before you kicked him smiled at you.
Now all eyes really were on you. You felt your face flush under the attention and you turned back to the TV so you could adjust the build of your cart.
“Y/N. I’m a first year. In painting.”
“Oh sure, an art student’s going to beat us at Mario Kart.” A guy with brown hair laughed, but not unkindly. His eyes gleamed as they met yours.
“I’m Thatch. Culinary science. Hope you don’t mind eating dust.”
Several people groaned, the pretty guy and Ace included.
“You’re so corny.” Ace huffed. A warm hand landed on your shoulder, making you jump in surprise. “Y/N, you seriously have to beat him now.”
You laughed, exchanging a grin with Bon. “Don’t worry, I was planning on it.”
Bon nodded sagely. “If you don’t win you owe me.”
“What for?” You protested. “You’re the one who said I’d win in the first place. If anything, you owe me if I don’t win because you jinxed it.”
“Yeah, yeah, just don’t lose then.” Deuce said.
“Backseat me and I’m sending Ace that essay outline.”
Ace visibly straightened in your peripheral vision. “So you have seen his writing?”
“What’s it to you?” You asked, eyes flicking to the screen as you loaded into… dude. Baby Park? This was going to be an annoying warm up round.
“Deu said he wrote about me for class. I just want to know what.” Ace said. Though he honestly sounded like he was whining.
“I can’t really help you there.” You admitted. “His essay’s on Moby Dick.”
“Boo.” Ace pouted. Which was cute. You looked back at the TV before you could continue that thought. “That’s alright. You’re still pretty cool.”
As the light turned yellow and you pressed the joystick forward, you wondered when you’d started to care whether or not Ace thought you were cool.
Within the hour you’d scored yourself a (digital) golden trophy, a few sips of soju, and bragging rights over half the room.
“I told you guys.” Bon cackled gleefully from the floor in front of you. He’d sat down at some point so he could braid Izou’s hair. “Y/N’s great.”
“She’s evil, that’s what she is!” Thatch moaned. “Why would you throw a boomerang at last place?”
“It’s kind of hard not to when I’m lapping you.” You snarked back.
“Are you going to play again?” Vista asked.
“Nah, I’ll watch.” You offered the controller to the room and Haruta snatched it up, bowing to you dramatically.
“I’ll try not to besmirch your legacy, Kart Queen.”
“Besmirch my legacy…?” You echoed, looking to Deuce for some kind of explanation.
“Haruta’s an English major. And just weird.”
“You can’t say that!” Haruta protested. “Not when Ace and Bon are right there!”
“I resent that!” Ace said. But he was also still wearing the orange cowboy hat that he’d apparently put on because he lost a bet but had randomly gotten attached to over the course of the party.
Bon just batted his eyes at Haruta. “Better not lose Haruta. If you besmirch Y/N’s good name you owe me next.”
Haruta stuck out his tongue at Bon before turning back to the TV.
“Hey,” Someone said, poking their head into the room. “Pops is putting the alcohol away for the night. Anyone want a last drink?”
Several people got up to grab one as you turned to Ace.
“Who’s Pops?” It wasn’t the first time the name had been brought up.
Ace’s smile brightened.
“He’s T-Lam’s house supervisor! He’s awesome. You’ve got to see his mustache.”
“O…kay.” Somehow that wasn’t the weirdest thing you’d heard all night.
Someone, you think it was Namur, traded spots with Curiel who’d been on the floor as he handed over the controller. Everyone on that side of the couch shuffled a bit and you found yourself suddenly a lot closer to Ace than you’d been before.
“Sorry,” Ace said, when he realized he’d scooted close enough for your legs to be pressed against each other.
“No, it’s okay.” You pulled yourself up onto the arm of the couch that Bon had vacated. “I’ve got room up here.”
Ace frowned which was mildly attractive. Oh geez, you thought to yourself. Good thing you hadn’t gone for another drink like Deuce. Alcohol usually blurred the line between your inside thoughts and your outside voice. You were so distracted that you almost missed what Ace said.
“You’ll fall. Switch with me.”
Your face flushed at the surprising assertiveness with which he’d spoken. You were glad that Thatch had turned off the lights last round in a last ditch effort to trip you up.
“I’ll be okay. Thanks though.”
And you wouldn’t have been lying either, not if two maps in, the people who’d left to get a drink hadn’t burst back in with plenty to share.
Someone getting up from the floor accidentally knocked into your knees and you found yourself slipping off the armrest. It wouldn’t have been a terrible fall, you doubted you’d even bruise from the relatively low height, but an arm suddenly shot out and pulled you back onto the couch.
You let out an undignified squeak that thankfully went unnoticed as drinks were passed around.
“I told you so.”
Could a voice be warm? Like, not metaphorically but physically speaking. As in physics physically, like sound waves and light waves and thermal energy… Gah, this was why you were an art student!
You chanced a glance at Ace. He seemed exasperated but not annoyed.
“Sorry.” You mumbled, not entirely sure what to do with yourself. Ace had pulled you half onto his lap to stop you from falling off and he still had an arm around your waist.
Ace opened his mouth to say something but someone else beat him to it.
“Hey! You freshmen better get a room!”
Heads turned and your face burned. Ace, to his credit, seemed wholly unbothered.
“Do you want to see my room?”
Your eyes might have bugged out a little. You had half a mind to say no, but that half was quickly becoming a third. Then a quarter.
“Sure.” You mumbled, to a chorus of “ooh”s and snickers.
Ace grinned and pulled you up from the couch. “Come on then. I want to show you something.”
Someone whistled as he led you out of the room by the arm.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!” Ace called back before turning to you. “My room’s this way.”
You had to admit, you were a bit curious as to what Ace’s room looked like. You’d poked around Bon’s room before and snuck into Crocodile’s at that last party. Crocodile, as it turned out, was a neat freak whereas Bon was an elegant slob.
It somehow didn’t surprise you to find Ace buoying between the two ends of that spectrum. His bed was unmade, but seriously who made their bed anyways? That made it easier for bed bugs to get you. His desk was surprisingly tidy though, with only a few notebooks and pencils left about while everything else was tucked away in cups or plastic organizers.
Your gaze immediately landed on the small yellow painting that hung above the bed.
“What is that? Acrylic?”
You drifted closer to get a better look. The paint was layered on pretty thick.
“I mean, I think so?” Ace said, joining you by the bed. “My little brother made it for me as a going away present for college. It’s supposed to be a portrait.”
“Really?” You asked, bemused. “Of what?”
“His hat.”
That startled a laugh out of you.
“He gave you a painting of his hat as a going away present?”
“It was from his art class at school. They said to paint your most prized possession and he said he wasn’t allowed to draw me and Sabo so he drew his hat. Little brat.” Ace said, his voice full of untempered affection. “I’d be annoyed at him for calling me a prized possession if it wasn’t cute.”
“That’s adorable.” You agreed. You briefly wondered who Sabo was but if Ace wasn’t going to elaborate, you wouldn’t pry. “Is that what you wanted to show me?”
“Yeah.” Ace said, his smile turning sheepish. “Sorry if it’s kind of lame, I know you said you’re a painting major, you’ve probably seen a lot better. I just like showing off my little brother’s stuff.“
You shook your head with a smile. “I like it a lot. It’s pretty abstract for a school project. Is the red part some kind of ribbon?
“Yeah, it is!” Ace exclaimed. “How could you tell? Someone once asked me if it was supposed to be a piece of bacon or something. As if there’d be bacon on a hat.”
You laughed. “I don’t know, some of the sculpture students might make something like that. But, I kind of guessed from the composition. The red’s on the lower part of the canvas and kind of curved. So, if this is like a macro still life, then it’d make sense for that curve to be the curve of the hat, you know?”
“No.” Ace said as he plopped down on the edge of his bed. “But you sound like you’re right. Do you have any pictures of your paintings? Could I see one?”
You paused, a little embarrassed, before you nodded. “Yeah, I can show you.”
Ace patted the bed next to him and you joined him, taking your phone out from your pocket.
You immediately cleared your notifications when you saw ‘2 new messages from BON <3’ pop up.
“This is the one I’m working on right now for my oil painting class.” You said, pulling up a photo. You were more used to acrylics so the colors were muddier than you’d have liked them to be. Hopefully those YouTube tutorials on solvents would help you brighten up the painting in the next few layers.
“Whoa.” Ace said as he leaned in to look at your phone. “Those oranges seriously look so real. You’re great!”
You flushed at the compliment, swiping out of the photo to look for another.
“Everyone in my class is at that level. Some of them are even better:”
“That doesn’t make you any less great.” Ace said. “I draw a bit but I’d never be able to get as good as you.”
“You draw?” You asked curiously.
It was Ace’s turn to redden. The freckles on his face seemed to fade into the flush on his cheeks.
“It’s nothing like your painting. I just drew treasure maps for my little brother when we were little and I guess it kind of stuck. I like maps.”
“Could I see one?” You asked.
For a moment you thought Ace would say no. His eyes darted across your face, like he was looking for something, before he nodded and walked over to his desk.
“This is what I’ve been working on in my spare time.”
He pulled out a folder from the drawer in his desk and spread out a sheet of paper.
You got up from the bed and joined him at the desk. Your fingers hovered above the paper, your eyes following the thin web of ink that criss-crossed the page.
“This is incredible.” You breathed.
You looked up to catch Ace blushing for real. If you’d thought the little redness from before had been something, he was downright adorable like this. He had to be even worse with compliments than you were.
“It’s not that crazy.” Ace mumbled.
“No, it totally is.” You insisted. “This looks almost identical to the official university map! But cooler!” You turned back to the map, marveling at the like details hidden here and there amongst the hatching.
“You even drew the flower beds in front of the architecture building. Have you been down to the school of art?”
Ace shrugged. “On my campus tour, yeah.”
“And you remembered that?” You huffed. “I can’t even remember what I had for lunch.”
“You don’t have to exaggerate.” Ace said, face still red. He looked away quickly when your eyes met. “But thanks. I don’t really show people my stuff. It’s kind of silly.”
“It’s not silly if it’s important to you.” You said.
Ace looked at you, suddenly very serious. “That logic really doesn’t hold up because my little brother is the silliest thing in the world. He’s more ridiculous than Pops’s mustache.” He paused before grinning. “But you can’t let either of them know I said that.”
You giggled. You freaking giggled. “Sure. You have my word.”
The two of you fell into a comfortable silence after that, you sitting down at Ace’s desk to continue poring over his map of the university campus while he scrolled through your photo album of paintings.
You were tilting your head to try and mentally draw the route you took from your Psych class to the dining hall when Ace tapped your shoulder. You looked up to find his face bright red again as he offered you your phone back. Your first thought was, did he see your freaky meme collection or something?
Then you noticed the notification disappearing at the top of the screen.
BON <3: wait girl do you need a condom
You felt yourself also turning as red as the ribbon Ace’s little brother had painted in the portrait of his hat.
“Sorry about that.” You took your phone back and quickly skimmed through your messages before replying.
BON <3: be safe!!
BON <3: he seems nice but like idk
BON <3: wait girl do you need a condom
You: vro????
BON <3: oh rip you replied too fast </3
You turned off your notifications.
“Sorry.” You repeated.
“‘s all good.” Ace said. But he wasn't really looking at you. “I… I kind of forgot that that’s what most people mean when they offer to show you their room.”
“Oh.” You blinked. “I didn’t know that. Is that a frat thing?” Someone had asked you that at the Beta-Psi party but Bon had interrupted and said it would be more fun to break into Crocodile’s room. Which it was. Which also meant you’d forgotten about the invite from that guy who’d definitely been a junior or a senior.
“I guess.” Ace said, face still red. “But I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry.”
“You’re good.” You said. “I wasn’t counting on it either…”
The two of you fell into a more awkward silence before Ace rubbed the back of his neck.
“Do you want to head back?”
You kind of wanted to keep looking at Ace;s map but he seemed pretty uncomfortable so you offered him a smile. “Sure.”
He frowned immediately, which caught you a little off guard.
“Sorry. I’m not trying to kick you out or anything. I was just worried I was making it awkward.”
“Bon’s the one who made it awkward.” You pointed out, which got Ace smiling again even if it was a small smile.
“Yeah. It is his fault.” Ace agreed. He fidgeted with the string of his cowboy hat, which had stayed squarely on his head this entire time, before he looked at you. You straightened a little at his serious expression.
“I know he made it weird but I…” He huffed suddenly and pulled the brim of his hat down, hiding his face. “Nevermind. It sounded less stupid in my head.”
“What did?” You asked, a smile tugging at your lips. You tilted your head to peek underneath the brim of his hat.
Ace didn’t look away when your eyes met, even if his face was red.
“I wanna get to know you.”
“Sure.” You said immediately. Maybe you replied too fast but it’s not like you were trying to play it cool in the first place. “I’d like that.”
Ace’s hesitant smile split into a wide grin. “Sweet.”
And if Deuce found the two of you an hour and a half later sitting on Ace’s bed by his open window, that was really none of his business. He sure seemed to disagree though.
“Ugh, it’s cold in here.” Deuce said when he opened the door.
Ace paused, mid-story about how his older brother, Sabo, had gotten a concussion when they were in high school and Luffy had been beside himself when he thought that meant Sabo wouldn’t remember them. “Need something Deu?”
Deuce raised an eyebrow, and you chose to ignore the accusatory look he gave you—and the yellow zip-up you were now wearing.
“Marco told me to go make sure the two of you were still alive.”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Ace asked.
“Because you’re a dumbass.” Deuce replied easily. “Also Y/N, Bon said he’s leaving soon. He wants to know if you’re coming too.”
“Oh.” You reached for your phone, which was laying face down on the bed nearby. When you picked it up, you were greeted with a few notifications.
BON <3: haruta lost smh
BON <3: ru going to come back to claim your crown
BON <3: you’re still walking back with me right :((
BON <3: i’m downstairss
You: i’m coming give me a minute
BON <3: only a minute?
You rolled your eyes and pocketed your phone, turning to offer Ace an apologetic smile.
“Sorry. Could you tell me the rest later?”
Ace smiled. “Sure.”
He stopped you as you moved to take off the yellow zip-up. At your questioning look he gestured at the open window.
“You’ll be cold on your walk back.”
“Smooth.” Deuce snickered from the doorway.
“Get lost.” Ace snapped.
Deuce gave the two of you one last look before disappearing, leaving the door open behind him.
You and Ace stared at each other for a moment before you spoke simultaneously.
“Could I have your—”
“I promise I’ll—”
Both of you paused before dissolving into giggles.
“You go first.” You said, bumping Ace with your shoulder.
“Sure.” He said. “Could I have your number? So I can tell you the rest of the story later.”
“Yeah.” You retrieved your phone and offered it to him. “And I promise I’ll return your jacket later. Thanks for letting me borrow it.”
“There’s no rush.” Ace said. You watched him text himself on your phone, his own phone screen lighting up from the windowsill.
As you moved to get off the bed, Ace caught you by the arm.
“Wait.”
You blinked as he reached out and pulled the jacket hood up onto your head. The unmistakable click of a picture being taken made your cheeks warm.
“What was that for?” You asked, reaching for his phone. Ace stuck his tongue out at you, leaning away from your hands.
“Contact photo.”
He turned his phone screen to you and your face got warmer as your hands reached up to touch the cat ears on top of the hoodie.
“Is there a story as to why you’ve got something like this?”
Ace snorted. “Yeah, the story is called Luffy. He calls it Kotatsu.”
“The jacket?” You asked.
“No, just the hood.” Ace said. “Come on, I’ll walk you downstairs.”
If anyone (Bon) asked, you were red because the rest of the frat house wasn’t as cool as Ace’s room had been. Even if your face got ten times redder when the giant man with an honestly pretty impressive mustache raised an eyebrow at the two of you from the door where he and Marco had been keeping Bon company.
“Someone’s dragged the cat out of the hat.” The man said as Bon waved you over.
“That’s not how that saying goes, yoi.” Marco sighed. “Y/N, this is Pops. He said he wanted to meet whoever beat us at Mario Kart before they left.”
That one round of races felt like it had been ages ago. You vaguely wondered if this was what meeting the parents was like as you bowed your head in hello.
“Nice to meet you sir.”
A thunderous laugh boomed out of the giant man.
“Just call me Pops, kid. It’s nice meeting you too.” His eyes twinkled as he looked over at Ace, who was still standing by your side.
“Are you going to walk her back, son?”
“I’m afraid that responsibility falls to me.” Bon said, latching onto your arm before Ace could reply. “Best friend duties and all that.”
“Really?” Ace laughed. “Guess I’ll have to up my game then.”
You and Marco both raised an eyebrow at that but Ace didn’t elaborate, rubbing the top of your hooded head one last time before letting Bon pull you through the door.
The two of you had just turned the corner off of the street of frat houses when your phone buzzed in your pocket. You pulled it out, snorting when you saw the message.
Ace: Show me your room next time :)
“What’s got you grinning?” Bon teased, bumping into you as you walked.
“Nothing.” You lied easily, pocketing your phone again. “Thanks for taking me to that party, Bon.”
Bon, for once, didn’t say anything. He just squeezed your arm as the two of you walked back to your dorms underneath the yellow-orange glow of streetlamps and stars.