✧ — brown sugar milk.

[boba]

for bwair

Comments

✧ — year one.

[transmit]

✧ — orientation day.

[transmit]

is this ishmael

this is ishmael right




sos

[ it's like 3am. how he has her number we just don't know ]

[wheft]

[ squints into the phone like ??????? ]

Do you have any idea what time it is
Also who is this??

[transmit]

oh whew someone finally responded

It's Elysium!!!!! The hot guy down the hall!! Packing 187cm of pure, lean muscle and with the once in a generation face to boot?

I got your number from a girl at
party I just went to

Her name was uh



Rosie? She told me to take care of you!











But also I forgot my keycard

[wheft]

I don't remember seeing a hot guy down the hall though

[ but she does remember an irritatingly tall guy towering over practically everyone in their dorm, hmm. also, who's rosie? no, maybe he meant rodya? this is a lot to process at 3 in the morning, actually. ]

Can't you get someone for that? Why are you even up this late anyway

[ hold up, she's getting up now and searching through her desk despite her complaints... ]

[transmit]

I've been standing out in the cold for twenty minutes now and no one else has responded……… brrrrrrr

But you probably weren't able to get a good enough look 😊
For your services I'll let you stare for as long as you want!

1/2

[wheft]

No thanks

[wheft]

But surely you have friends in other dorms who you can just stay the night
Er, day

What would happen if I didn't wake up, huh?

[transmit]

My roommate went back with someone else
As for asking around

Huh
Why didn't I think about that

…

Anyway!! You're here now so it's fine
I'll just owe you one 🙏 you're a lifesaver!

[wheft]

[ ughghgughghhhh ]

Yeah yeah I just found my keycard so
Gimme 5 mins
Where are you

[ just gonna shuffle out the door in her oversized shirt and sweatpants and incredibly disheveled hair zzz ]

[transmit]

Front entrance!

[ he's going to smell so badly of booze, sorry ]

[wheft]

[ yeah yeah she's going to drag her sleepy ass over there now, shivering a little at the nippy air. she squints into the darkness -- not like she needs to look any closer when a guy like him easily towers her. ]

...Wow. You reek.

[ tfw that's her first impression of him instead of his dashing good looks, rip ]

[transmit]

Heheh… got a little carried away, what can I say.

[ he is so unsteady on his feet he isn't even processing how she might be looking at him ]

Did I forget to mention that I'm locked out of my room, too? 'Cause I'm locked out of my room. Iiiiiiiiiiishy. ⁠♪

[ another sorry because he's just fuckin draping over her ]

You aren't gonna just help a guy halfway, are you?

[wheft]

[ she almost falls over from his weight HELLO. she's fully awake now at least. ]

No, I'm changing my mind and dropping you off here.

[ she shifts his position so that she's half-carrying him by his shoulder now. why is he even doing this to a girl he barely knows?? chivalry truly is dead. sniffles ]

Also, that's not my name. Call me Ishmael.

✧ — post-coffee shop not!date.

[transmit]

[ new sub-level for my own sanity, but quick time skip to after her study session and his shift. instead of leading her anywhere outright, they're back to their dorm. ]

Change into something you wouldn't mind sweating in. I'll meet you back here.

[ did he have to put it like that? yea. before she has a chance to protest, he's already retreating into his room, presumably to do the same. a barista's work uniform doesn't make for good exercise gear, that's for certain. ]

not!date, huh...

[wheft]

[ sweating in? are they going to work out?? she was going to ask him more details but she got a door slammed on her face instead, rip.

well, fine. she needed to stash away her books anyway, and it wouldn't take her too long to change into the university hoodie and sweatpants before knocking on elysium's door. ]

Seriously? We're going out this late?

:)

[transmit]

[ he opens the door in full athleisure, lightweight jacket and sweats. he hadn't quite anticipated for her to finish before him, but that's fine, it isn't like he's glamming up or anything so he opens the door in short notice.

scanning her from top to bottom, ]

Pretty heavyweight, but it'll do. [ thumbs up! ] Mind your own cargo, yeah? The night is young and the weekend's about. Your hobbies are already geriatric enough, so show some more youth in you, won't you?

[ leaves to start tugging her along. ]

Let's go.

[wheft]

[ she just keeps everything else hidden underneath her hoodie, it's aight. that geriatric comment is so uncalled for though, and she scowls at his back while he leads them downstairs and out of their dorm. ]

Yeah, well, whippersnappers like you need to slow down every once in a while. Jeez.

[ she is still YOUNG and HIP hello!!! ]

Don't you usually go out to... wherever we're going with a bunch of friends?

[transmit]

Where we're going, the fewer people the better.

[ pretends he hears nothing. it's fine. gives him a motorcycle in this au too so he can toss a helmet towards her once they reach the parking lot. ]

Still, the best spots are meant to be shared. Stop looking so dour. You might as well enjoy something you've already agreed to, Miss Ishmael.

[wheft]

[ damn he got no friends in this au too ]

I'm not dour. [ says the dour-looking girl, rolling the helmet in her hands for a bit before strapping it onto her head. ] I just have a permanent resting bitch face, is all.

[ besides, she wouldn't be following him at all if she wasn't enjoying himself. ]

You still haven't told me where we're going, you know. Unless you want me to see it for myself first?

[transmit]

[ grips onto this tightly even as we talk about idol au. multiple blair threads for me

anyway, sometimes being friends with everyone means you're friends with no one. deep. ]

I told you it'd be a surprise so we're keeping it a surprise. If it turns out you aren't interested we can always go back. Half the fun's doing things on the fly.

[ he gives an irreverent wave of his hand as he takes his seat, waiting for her to climb on. after a brief pause, his hand settles on the handles, and he gives the motorcycle an experimental rev. ]

Need me to drive at the speed limit for you?

[ asks this even though he will not drive at the speed limit ]

[wheft]

[ yessss more ly threads for ME

he really wants her to waste more time with him, huh. what a weirdo. she hesitates in hopping on for a hot second though, before taking a deep breath and sliding onto the seat behind him. then another significant pause, finally deciding on putting both her hands on his waist. there, safe and secure(?). ]

Do you want to get pulled over? [ huffs! ] Just be careful, jeez.

[transmit]

[ he does not want to be pulled over but like. the night ride vibes means there aren't many cars on the road, so even if he has to swerve between traffic it's only occasional and not all the time. hope she enjoys that bit of excitement in her life! elysium certainly looks like he's thriving and in his element.

it's about a fifteen-minute ride, even with no obstructions. by now, they've left the city behind, the outskirts stretching around them—just open space and the quiet presence of the local fauna, with a a dense forest stretching out before them.

he hops off. he'll peer over to her to see how she's doing, holding out a hand if she needs it. ]

Can you guess what we're doing now?

[wheft]

[ he sure is thriving! so much so that ishmael wraps her arms around him when he chooses to pick up speed at some point, resting her cheek on his back as she watches the cityscape slowly change into the outskirts. she'd been out of the city before but not usually accompanied with someone, much less someone she'd only recently met, and by the time elysium slows down to a stop and hops off, her heart is all but threatening to jump out of her chest.

so, of course she's going to take his hand, her knees wobbling a little as she walks it off. ]

I don't know. Stargazing?

[ deja vu... she peers at the skies above to see if they're clear enough. ]

It's the only thing I could think of. Why else would you take me here?

[transmit]

[ help.

his response takes a half beat, too entertained watching her dismount the bike like a newborn foal. it's equal parts adorable and endearing, and he keeps his hand steady around hers up until she finds her footing. ]

Oh? Aren't you a romantic. Were you thinking of this as a date this entire time?

[ regardless of what she says, he doesn't push back—just shifts gears with a quick grin, smoothing over it cheerfully. ]

I jest, I jest. [ hehe. ] I told you I liked walks, and you called it basic. But you also told me, 'who doesn't?' So that's what we're doing. We're hiking, silly. No qualms, yeah?

[ a hike that may or may not lead exactly to her guess… that's a surprise for later. there's also an entire measure between 'walk' and 'hike,' but whatever. sue him. ]