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Mr. Ish’s architectural lecture on structural load distribution had completely fried Flux’s brain. By the time they were finally dismissed, Flux felt like his skull was stuffed with wet concrete. He dragged his feet across the campus quad, his backpack feeling like it weighed a damn ton, while Thomas strolled beside him, completely unfazed and talking a mile a minute about some stupid video game update.
"I'm actually going to murder Mr. Ish," Flux groaned, rubbing his temples with one hand. "I swear to god, if he talks about cantilevered beams for one more fucking second, I'm going to drop dripstone on his head and replace him. Like, actually."
"You’re so dramatic bro like bro" Thomas laughed, shaking his head. "It was only an hour and a half. You just hate that he called you out for your floor plan yesterday."
"Because my floor plan was fucking genius, and Mr. Ish has zero vision," Flux snapped back, though there was a fond, tired edge to his voice.
As they rounded the corner toward the sophomore dorms, a rogue skateboarder came barreling down the sidewalk out of nowhere, nearly clipping Flux’s shoulder.
"Whoa, watch out, watch!" Thomas barked, reacting on pure instinct. He threw a heavy arm around Flux’s shoulders, hauling him out of the skater's path with a quick yank.
The second Thomas’s heavy arm hit his shoulders, Flux stiffened up like a board. He absolutely fucking despised being touched out of nowhere—it was a sensory nightmare, especially when he was already overstimulated from class. With a sharp, practiced motion, Flux violently shoved Thomas off him, glaring sideways with a dramatic, full-on bratty eye-roll.
"Get your heavy-ass arm off me, you absolute gremlin," Flux scoffed, brushing his hoodie off as if Thomas had just smeared mud all over it. "Don't touch me. I will file a restraining order against you."
Thomas just chuckled, completely unbothered. He was way too used to Flux’s dramatic-ass personal space rules after knowing him for years. "Relax, drama queen. I literally just saved you from getting leveled by a fifteen-year-old on a penny board. You're welcome, by the way."
"I could have dodged it myself," Flux muttered, though he didn't actually stay mad, falling back into their usual easy stride as they reached the dorm building.
When they unlocked the door to room 40B, the smell of cheap cinnamon tea and vanilla immediately hit them. Saps was already sitting cross-legged on the rug by the mini-fridge, looking up from his laptop. The platinum-blonde haired boy looked ridiculously soft in an oversized cream sweater, his goldish-brown eyes instantly lighting up the second Flux walked through the threshold.
"Hi," Saps soft-spokenly greeted, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"Hey Saps," Flux mumbled, his entire demeanor shifting from exhausted, sharp-tongued bitch to something way softer the second he dropped his bag. Without a single second of hesitation, Flux walked right over, practically melting into the floor next to Saps.
Saps didn't even wait. He immediately wrapped both arms securely around Flux’s waist, pulling him in close, resting his chin right on top of Flux's head while his fingers lazily started tracing soothing circles into the fabric of Flux's black hoodie. Flux let out a long, shuddering sigh of pure relief, burying his face right into Saps’s chest, completely yielding to the touch.
Standing right by the doorway, Thomas froze dead in his tracks. His jaw literally dropped open.
He stared at Saps. Then he stared at Flux. Then back at Saps, whose hands were currently tangled comfortably in Flux’s dark hair, playing with the purple highlights.
Thomas blinked once. Twice.
"Wait. Hold on a fucking second," Thomas blurted out, pointing an accusing finger right at them with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Are you shitting me right now?"
Flux didn't even pull away; he just lazily tilted his head up from Saps’s chest, glaring at Thomas with mild irritation. "What, Thomas? Can you not stare like a creep for five fucking seconds?"
"What?!" Thomas shrieked, his voice cracking slightly as he threw his hands up in utter disbelief. "What do you mean what?! I literally brushed your shoulder five minutes ago outside and you looked at me like I committed a goddamn war crime! You shoved me like I had the plague! But Saps is literally treating you like a human weighted blanket and you’re just... purring?"
Saps let out a quiet, melodic laugh, a soft flush dusting his pale cheeks, though his arms stayed firmly wrapped around Flux's waist.
Flux rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful, a matching pink tint creeping up his neck. "Oh, my god, shut the fuck up, Thomas. It's different."
"How is it fucking different?!" Thomas demanded, pacing back and forth across the small patch of floor between the beds. "Physical touch is physical touch! You have a 50-foot restraining order on me touching your arm, but you're out here spooning with Saps like it's no big deal!"
"Because we're dating, you stupid bum," Flux said flatly, as if it were the most obvious, mundane fact in the entire universe.
The room went dead silent for three whole seconds.
Thomas stopped pacing mid-stride. His mouth opened, closed, and then opened again like a fish gasping for air. His eyes darted between the two of them, realization hitting him like a freight train.
"You're... what?!" Thomas yelled, his voice echoing off the dorm walls. "You're dating?! Since when?! How long has this been a thing?! Why the fuck didn't anyone tell me?!"
"Since like, three months ago," Saps answered softly, a fond, shy smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he squeezed Flux a little tighter. "We just... kept it quiet. You know how Flux gets about people being all up in his business."
"I didn't want you making annoying-ass jokes about it every single day of my life, which you clearly fucking would have," Flux muttered, burying his face back into Saps's sweater.
Thomas stood there for a moment, his brain visibly short-circuiting as he tried to process the secret relationship happening right under his nose. Then, slowly, a massive, obnoxious grin spread across his face.
"Oh, my god," Thomas gasped, clutching his chest in mock betrayal, though his eyes were shining with genuine, overwhelming happiness for them. "My little baby Flux has a boyfriend! Look at you two, all soft and domestic behind closed doors! I'm gonna cry, I swear to god."
"If you cry, I am throwing you out the window," Flux warned, though he couldn't completely hide the small, fond smile pulling at his lips.
"Shut up" Thomas laughed, dropping his backpack onto his designated chair and kicking off his shoes. He walked over and dropped heavily onto the edge of the other bed, still grinning like an idiot. "Alright, spill every single detail right now. How long has this been going on, and why didn't you trust me, you absolute bitch?"
"I'm not telling you shit, go choke on a—"
Flux didn't even get to finish his threat before Thomas grabbed a stray textbook from the desk and chucked it directly at the back of his head.