Ignition [Alezander & Z3N / Private]

[Z3N]

 

Samuel Lee | 21

Veterinary Science

 

 

How did it happen again? Right, Samuel moved away from when they were still a child. He never managed to say his goodbye to his best friend, leaving him behind without even looking back. It was one of the choices he made, even though his parents had asked him if he really wanted to leave like that. Even his teachers didn’t know about it until the day he was gone from this city. The students in his classroom were probably shocked as well because of the sudden news. He was always good in keeping a secret, but this one was one of the biggest he had. He had regretted his choice but never did anything about it, telling himself that it was for the best to leave that way.

 

But now six years later, his parents decided to move back to the city called London. He didn’t think they had to and even proposed to stay behind in Japan but the cost was just too high since he wasn’t working a full-time job yet. That was why he got back with them to his reluctance. Luckily they didn’t go back to their old house. This one was more modern and situated in a better neighbourhood as well. The first time he saw the building, he felt a bit relieved as they wouldn’t be stuffed into a small apartment and that his father was smarter this time. In Japan they had to move after a month again since the thing was just too small to fit three people.

 

Samuel his eyes shot open as he heard his alarm clock going off, making him groan loudly at the sudden noise, despising the sound of it completely. With one swift hit, he switched of the alarm clock so he was left in peace but wasn’t allowed to go to sleep anymore. After five more minutes, he got out of his bed and made himself ready to go to the university. His parents were still asleep as they didn’t have to get up early today. Glaring at their bedroom door as he passed it before going downstairs to make himself a sandwich with ham and cheese. It was better than nothing.

 

Once he finished his food, he got up, grabbed his backpack and left to the university. It was a fifteen minute walk away which was seriously convenient for him. This way he didn’t have to get up too early and still be on time for class. But since he didn’t seem to have any luck these days, he had to start on the first period. It was only two classes after each other but it was still so damn early. With squinted eyes, he made his way into the school, receiving some glances from other students as they hadn’t seen him before on campus. Especially since he was in his third year of veterinary science.

 

But despite the bad start, the weather was nice. Almost no clouds were up in the sky and the sun was shining brightly upon the Earth. He yawned once he got into the right class and took a seat in one of the available chairs. Not that much later, the professor came in and class started.

 

[11am]

 

Class ended and Samuel took his stuff together before getting out of there. It mostly consisted of theory he had already seen in the second grade which was meant to revise. Well, at least the professor was nice enough to not dump a shitload of material on the students on their first day back in school. But now that he was standing there, he didn’t know what to do with his spare time. It was too early to grab something to eat and his parents weren’t home either. He didn’t know anybody from this school which made things even more irritating. At least in Tokyo he had some friends but now he had to start from zero again which was truly annoying.

 

After a moment of thinking, he decided to just go chill on the grass from the campus which was practically some kind of beautiful garden. Even non-students came to relax here and some were even doing a picnic next to the fountain. He plopped down in a sunny spot and put on his sunglasses as he didn’t feel like doing much. His backpack was used as a pillow which a lot more comfortable than the ground. Though he had to admit that it was a little hot in those black pants but his white shirt helped a lot to keep the heat from getting to him.

[Alezander]

 

Eldritch Lim, 20 years

Black hair, tangerine eyes

From the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Medicinal Physics major

 

 

"Bullshit, May. Are you doing this on purpose?"

 

Eldritch clicked his tongue, thoroughly pissed at the female walking beside him as he himself stomped his way out of the booth. He had been working on another of his podcast episodes since seven that morning and because he had to keep talking straight, he even skipped breakfast, hence his language and attitude. Not that he was a health Nazi or anything, but he was a big believer of eating breakfast and having enough hours of sleep. Wiping his glasses' lens with the cloth of her scarf, Eldritch rested his tired eyes as he walked, his tangerine orbs refusing to reflect the ridiculous amount of sunlight that bounced around the university halls. Students greeted them as they passed and the two of them, Eldritch Lim and Maeceline Asshe greeted back, the people's gazes now an accepted fact for the two second years.

 

Not that they were crazy popular or anything, but the Radio Duo, as the two of them were often called, had a steady rep for producing engaging radio drama pieces that were once described by the journalism society in one of their publications as 'captivating and alluring, and has no intention of letting you out of its maw'. It was exaggerated high praise in Eldritch's opinion, but he did agree about Maeceline's writing. Her stories kept getting better and better that Eldritch could get lost himself in them. Unlike when he first started a year ago, reading her stories for their listeners had become a pleasure, but there was just one problem.

 

"What am I doing on purpose?"

 

The female asked flippantly, like she wasn't the least bit bothered or intimidated that Eldritch was pissed. She was used to his attitude.

 

"Your scenes. I mean, I don't have a problem with the story and I think the pacing is better than before. But your scenes! For fuck's sake, May, fix them!"

 

His head throbbed hissing at her, and the casual noise around them wasn't helping at all. He needed to go somewhere nice and quiet, someplace like his dorm.

 

"Why? What's wrong with my scenes?"

 

"They keep getting smuttier and smuttier. It's unnecessary and plain bullshit. Fix them."

 

They were heading towards the Lawn, a grass filled park inside the campus where students and even outsiders and visitors usually hung out. Today, since it was the first day of the new term, most of the existing university social circles were out, hunting for new members to invite in their group. In other words, people. Lots of them. And noise. And sunlight. And still no breakfast for one hungry Eldritch.

 

"Tsk tsk. Wrong, Ritch. That's where you're wrong. If you just read our reviews, you'd know that our listeners kill to listen to you voice act steamy scenes."

 

She said while wriggling her eyebrows and giving the other her signature grin whenever she was up to something.

 

"I bet your fangirls- and boys- can't get enough of the meat I supply to them these days. You should be grateful, you know. This way you'll have greater access to the university's many diverse circles."

 

"I don't need shit access to anything." He muttered while looking around.

 

"Of course you do. I thought you were checking out everyone here. You're looking for that guy, right? Your little Sammy."

 

Eldritch sighed. Maeceline was always bringing that up. Whether it was to show her genuine support or just to annoy him, he couldn't tell. But none of that mattered. After he graduated high school, he just didn't care the least bit about him anymore. But it was also true that for a time, Eldritch had, if one would call it, an obsession about finding him, and it was well justified in Eldritch's opinion. He had left without prior notice, no letter, no farewell note, no fucking nothing. Just whoosh and bam, he was gone. Everyone, the teachers and his classmates carried on like he never existed at all after a few days, but not Eldritch.

 

As a child, Eldritch thought it was cruel to be left in the midst of a promise, and for about a year he often went to sleep with his pillow soaked. He wasn't the strongest person when he was young, but Eldritch was forced to get his shit together when his father, who singlehandedly raised him while working as an electrician, suffered severe back pains after he slipped off from his working ladder during one of his calls. Eldritch was a freshman in high school then. He never knew his mother, and all of his relatives were in the countryside. It wasn't like he could expect help from his classmates and the few friends he had, so of course had to work for the both of them for a while until his father could start working again. Ever since then, Eldritch made sure that his father had enough rest and proper nutrition, hence his consciousness about health, and he continued to work here and there to help cover their expenses, and hopefully, soon claim the position of breadwinner from his father.

 

Currently, his steadiest income generating activity was his podcast episodes with Maeceline's stories. About fourth five percent of the university's population were regular audience members, many of whom buy the tracks. Maeceline didn't even care about her portion of the earn and was content enough to hear people's thoughts on her story writing, but Eldritch managed to convince her to take at least three tenths. There was a setback though, and that was Eldritch had no say about her story, and so far he had no problems. She had tried mystery, romance, adventure, fantasy, horror, even explicit gore. But smut? And graphic scenes at that? Fuck nope.

 

"What are we doing here anyway? If you don't feed me soon, I'll eat the person nearest."

 

Eldritch threatened. Not that he was usually unsociable, just that he wasn't in the mood to mingle with people yet.

 

"Shht. I'm people watching. I need a model for Gerard's partner. We'll eat soon enough."

 

Gerard was the protagonist's name of the new series they were working on. A victim suffering PTSD hiding his trauma under a greasy, flirty facade, a character whose motto was 'You'll get the best, but not the rest of me'.

 

"Gerard? But he already has three partners. Two one night stands and one sexfriend. Plus two lined up for an impending threesome. How many more does he need?"

 

He asked, exasperation obvious in his voice, but Maeceline was already in the move, her eyes locked on her target. Eldritch felt sorry for the poor lady who would soon become an object under Maeceline's careful scrutiny, but he followed the female nevertheless. They neared a person and before he could stop her, she had plopped down in the grass next to a guy who looked to be their age or maybe older. Sunglasses, white shirt, black pants. The minimalistic hipster starter pack. Eldritch put on his glasses as he watched Maeceline work her weird ritual, which meant to weird out the person before introducing herself. This time, she moved as if she was swimming the front crawl on the grass. It looked pretty stupid and Eldritch's tangerine eyes unconsciously wandered over to the guy's face to see his reaction, but whatever his expression was, Eldritch couldn't tell because of the sunglasses.

 

"Heyahey! I'm Maeceline, May for short. I've got something to ask you. If you have time, wanna have lunch with us? That glum looking guy over there will be joining. Okay?"

 

She spoke all in one breath yet even when she ended with a question, she didn't wait for his answer. Instead, she just went ahead and stood, pulled the unknown guy's wrist to force him up, then started dragging him to the cafeteria. Although Eldritch knew Maeceline had the tendency to be random, the insistence she displayed was unprecedented. Eldritch followed them from behind, his gaze intent on the other male's back. He's either shocked, confused or pissed, Eldritch thought as Maeceline led the three of them to a table where she pushed the other guy into a chair.

 

"I'll order for us, my treat."

 

She informed the two males and turned to leave, but Eldritch caught her elbow.

 

"Oi, you're not leaving me with this stranger. Plus he's a guy. I though you were looking for a model for you're new character. Are you going to venture into homosexual relationships now?" He whispered, and quickly added. "Not that I have anything against homosexuals, but still."

 

Eldritch expected her to realize her mistake. Instead, her eyes widened and that brilliant grin was back on her face.

 

"Oh hell! Ritch, that's brilliant!"

 

Oh shit, what have I done?

 

"You think he'll be up for featuring in our podcast eps? That would be so cool! I mean, you'll continue to be the storyteller, but when his lines come up, he'll voice them himself."

 

Eldritch could feel a huge headache incoming, so he sent her off to grab the food before he started combusting. He'd deal with her later after he had eaten. Going back to the stranger guy, Eldritch blatantly checked the other over, wondering why he kept feeling a sense of familiarity coming off the other. Eldritch wanted to ask, but before he could say a word, Maeceline was back.

 

"Food! Let's eat first then talk after."

 

She said and as soon as the food was distributed, Eldritch wolfed the grub down all the while watching the other guy. For some unknown reason, Eldritch didn't want to share his sound booth with anyone while he worked. But if working with someone would help increase their audience, then maybe Eldritch could allow a compromise. Soon Maeceline was finished eating and therefore started her interrogation.

 

"Again, I'm May. This guy's Eldritch. Ritch. We're both second years from the physics department. What about you?" Then she began explaining about their work while Eldritch observed. "So I was looking for a model for my new character and you caught my eye, so here we are. I only have one question, so feel free to answer it or not, as long as you're comfortable." She smiled at the guy and it was a real one for once that Eldritch could feel an eyebrow on the rise. But even her smile paled in comparison to the next thing she would say according Eldritch's internal shock-o-meter.

 

"Do you like to top or bottom?"

 

Eldritch could only splutter on his water as both he and Maeceline, her in particular, waited for the guy's answer.

[Z3N]

Samuel was finally starting to relax. The sun heated him up, making it all warm and cosy now, not even needing a jacket or anything. His eyes closed themselves up as he listened to the sounds coming from around him. He could hear a family laughing, playing children, video games that people played on their cell phones, etc. There was a certain variety in noises but they weren’t disturbing at all, they were rather soothing. It was not that he disliked silence but it was more fun to be around people than to be all by himself.

 

The grass underneath him was nice, the ground wasn’t a brick either so that was a plus point. He had fallen asleep in the classroom a couple of times already and it eventually became a ritual in his previous school. The professors didn’t even say anything anymore as they knew he didn’t mean any harm by it. He just fell asleep rather easily when he was completely relaxed. It was a state of mind he could get into by just emptying his head and thinking about good things. It did take a while for him to go there but once he did, it wouldn’t take long before he would position himself nicely and just fall asleep wherever he was at. Some said it was even a gift.

 

However his sleep was disturbed when a female voice came from a close distance. His eyes hot open and looked at the girl in question who didn’t seem dangerous but rather excited by the way she introduced herself. It was rapid but to the point, plus he could understand everything she said in that small period of time that he was able to listen to her voice.

 

Blinking a couple of times as he wasn’t too sure about what she was talking about. Lunch? Glum looking guy? He sat up from where he was lying down in order to look for the person she spoke about and indeed someone with that description was standing not too far away from them. The guy really needed to laugh a little more so he wouldn’t scare everyone away from him at once.

 

Before he could even utter a word, he was pulled by the wrist, barely taking his backpack with him as it would mean trouble if he didn’t. The girl was pretty fast for being so small. Well, she wasn’t as tall as him, let’s leave it at that. Her bouncy personality didn’t make her dislikeable even though she was pulling a complete stranger with her without even letting him say a word. He easily followed behind her though he did notice something as they were walking to the cafeteria. The stares. It was almost as if he entered some kind of show that he didn’t know about. Well, how could he since it was only his first day of school here.

 

Once Samuel sat into one of the chairs at the table, he stared at the girl name Maeceline who was now talking with the glum guy. Not saying anything as he didn’t know what to say to start with. Rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around so he could focus on something else that didn’t feel as awkward as this situation here. Especially now that he was left alone with the other guy. Eventually he took out his cell phone as no conversation was started. He only stayed for the free food that he was going to get which was always nice.

 

When Maeceline came back with the food, he took some and chewed on it while scrolling through the social media. It was one of the things he did when he ate at school. It wasn’t to be rude, he just wanted to check for any messages from his friends back in Japan but due to the time difference, he didn’t know when they’d be able to send something at all. The only thing that he could do was to wait.

 

Once they finished their meals, the girl started again. Nodding lightly to what she had to say but the name Eldritch was a bit too familiar for his own good. His eyes going over to the male while he listened. Not wanting to believe that this was his childhood friend. He looked different. Not a cry-baby anymore like he used to be. The only way to know for sure was to say his own name and watch the other his reaction to it.

 

”I’m Samuel. Sam for short. Third year of the veterinary department.”

 

It was a short introduction but he didn’t feel the need to give a complete background about himself as she didn’t do the same. And she was the one that dragged him here out of the blue so she shouldn’t nag about it in the first place. In his opinion it wasn’t.

 

Her next question made him freeze on the spot as he knew what she was talking about but it didn’t seem to register inside of his head. His face took a few seconds before it could move normally again and awkwardly laughed at the girl.

 

”Both?”

 

It sounded more like he was asking a question instead of giving a clear response. Honestly, he couldn’t believe how bold she could be with this. In Japan hey were a lot more reserved and wouldn’t talk about this publicly. It was even tough to ask in private to a close friend. And even then it would still be weird as hell.

[Alezander]

Damn, this guy has actual homosexual experience?

 

This was Eldritch's first thought as he hurriedly finished his water all at once before he heard anything else that would make him choke. But then it was also possible that the guy called Samuel only answered according to preference, since that was more likely Maeceline's question all about. Still, a preference for both? That is some wild shit right there.

 

Eldritch's second thought was maybe this guy, just maybe, was possibly, possibly him. He had the same name, the same hair, the same face, although he had lost all of his baby fat and his cheekbones were more prominent, along with his defined jawline and brow bones. His figure was obviously different since the last time he saw his childhood friend. Not to mention his voice. In the past and in his memories, Eldritch always thought of his friend as cute and lovely to the eyes. But this guy, this Samuel was far from Eldritch's little Sammy.

 

Fiddling with the piece of unused jewelry in his pocket, Eldritch had half a mind to keep his mouth shut and observe for a bit but when he noticed how the other male seemed to test him for his reaction, Eldritch decided to throw his hesitance out the window. Hell, might as well get embarrassed if he was mistaken, rather than have to spend the next semesters having this guy around without ever bringing up their past.

 

"My, both? You've got the best of worlds, huh?" Maeceline was ecstatic at this bit of information and was writing down furiously on her notebook when Eldritch spoke.

 

"May, I'm skipping class. I'll head back to my dorm. You go on ahead. Take notes for me, alright?"

 

He ordered and was about to turn around but she halted him, her face all scrunched and looking worried.

 

"Do you feel sick, Ritch? Not feeling well? I'm sorry I pushed you too hard. I even made you finish my circuit board until late yesterday. I'm really sorry! I hope you get better soon-"

 

Eldritch could only sigh. Maeceline was always such a spoiled baby, just like how artists usually are. That side of her was difficult and usually drained Eldritch most of his energy, but there were just some times when she becomes all sensible and sincere and that part of her always caught him off guard because it reminded him how she's also a girl and that it was totally possible for Eldritch to harbor a crush on her if he just seriously took the time to sit and think about it. What was there not to like anyway? She had been there for him ever since he first started working part time, sometimes even working with him to help cover expenses even though he hated it whenever she did that.

 

"I'm fine, mom. Also, say goodbye to Samuel here 'cause I'm taking him with me." He interrupted since him not feeling great wasn't true anyway. He just needed an excuse to be alone with Samuel so they could talk.

 

"Samuel? Why?"

 

"Just." Eldritch shrugged flippantly before shooing her away until she finally conceded and was off to another academic building for a lecture. After that, Eldritch took Samuel by the elbow and whisked them both to his dorm which was inside the campus. He led them to the side of the building, where a little garden was supposed to be, except that it was presently overgrown with weeds and has been unkempt for some years, what with the dorm being occupied by males who had little to no care as to whatever would happen to the garden. Eldritch was sure no one would disturb them here.

 

"Sorry for dragging you out here if I'm mistaken but there's something I need to confirm." Eldritch started, looking closely at the other's face for any sign of recognition. He had no idea what he would do next if this person really was the Sammy he knew. But he was right, Eldritch would absolutely demand an explanation. But after that?

 

Eldritch had moved on anyway, and Sammy was just a past chapter of his life. No matter how much he liked his friend before, or how much he regretted not being able to say what he felt, or being how powerless he was from stopping him when he left, all that did not matter now. But Eldritch needed his closure not because he was still hurting over Samuel leaving him, but because Eldritch knew he at least deserved an explanation.

 

"So I'm Eldritch Lim, and you're Samuel Lee. Correct? We used to hang out together when we were kids but one day you just up and left. Why?" Despite his claim of being over Samuel, Eldritch could feel himself getting agitated as he spoke the other's name. So he was still angry. "You vanished and now you come back. Why?"

 

Eldritch imagined that if ever this was Samuel, they would not be as close as before, yet they could be on good terms and all friendly with each other, bumping into each other every once in a while on campus. It was a pretty picture, actually. But somehow asking the question turned all of Eldritch's longing for his friend into anger. His voice sort of cracked when he asked and his face felt hot, like he could not wait to punch the other's lights out.

 

You better have a good reason, Eldritch warned the other in his head. Because if Samuel didn't have one, Eldritch's right hook was all locked and loaded.

[Z3N]

Samuel chuckled lightly at the sudden enthusiasm of Maeceline when he answered that he didn’t mind going both ways. It wasn’t really something he cared about as long as he felt good with it. Not many people would expect him to answer that casually to a stranger but for him it was just a simple question they asked. It wasn’t like he hurt anyone with answering in the first place. They could be bothered by it, but that was their problem honestly.

 

Looking around as she scribbled down that little part, not caring too much about this all as he didn’t know what they expected from him. He knew that they were planning something where he could help out with. That was all. Though he did notice the slight bickering the two friends were having after he answered. It seemed like he said something bad but he wasn’t sure. It could’ve been something else too that would’ve caused the even worse mood in the male.

 

When this Eldritch person mentioned that he was taking Samuel with him as well, the guy just stared at the glum dude in confusion. Being taken by the elbow and being dragged off again almost became something like a routine. Grabbing his back already before it would be left behind and stumbled behind the other. Regaining his composure so he would just be dragged and not be dragged and almost fall on his face in the process. It was an improvement from before. The shitty state of the garden that they passed caught his eye as it almost looked like a filthy jungle where a cat could lose its children in. It was troublesome to even look at. Especially since he moved into the dormitory yesterday.

 

Once they stopped at the side of the building in a less visible spot, he looked at the male without saying a word. Listening to the rambling of the other which turned into a more desperate tone of voice, then angered. The emotions were mostly negative which was the most important detail to keep in mind. He didn’t want this to escalate even more as they would probably see each other quite a few times from now on. Though that depended on the girl from earlier on.

 

Samuel his eyes were focused on the features of Eldritch his face, taking it in completely. The guy had changed quite a bit from when they were younger. Staring at the other until he was finished with asking the questions he had to get off his chest. Becoming a bit more serious as he wondered about how he should explain it to the other and if he should tell everything. Every reason as to why he had to move away from here so suddenly.

 

”I had to move because my parents got a job offer in Japan. I… forgot to tell you about it and I thought it would’ve been easier if I just disappeared from your life.” He said while rubbing the back of his head, ruffling through his hair as he looked at the other. ”I guess I fucked that one up. But look at you. You survived nicely enough.” A light smile forming on his lips.

 

Honestly, he was lying. He wanted to tell Eldritch that he had to move, call him, message him or just even send a message on Facebook or anything like that. But there was something that stopped him from doing so. The fear of losing a friend which he eventually did anyway. He didn’t want to hear the sad voice nor the sad face that the other would make if he got to know about it. The longing of going back to London would’ve grown even bigger. He would’ve made a choice that would’ve influenced his family’s life for the worst. That was why he couldn’t contact Eldritch after all that time. He forbid himself.

[Alezander]

"Oh, look. I don't even have the care to hit you. Such lame excuses you make, I feel disappointed having clung onto memories of you the way I did."

 

Eldritch flippantly said, lathering as much sarcasm as he could onto his words. The truth was he felt a slight sting in his chest when Samuel appeared to care so little for what they used to have, but Eldritch would rather suck dick than admit it. Anyway, why did he have to feel pain at this point? Their story was ancient history.

 

Eldritch stepped away from the other, feeling so irritated. I should have fucked up his pretty face, he thought bitterly, but he had to show that he no longer gave a shit about Samuel. "So I survived. All thanks to you, though. If you didn't leave, I would never have known how stupid it is to actually believe in people. Later." Turning his back to the other, Eldritch stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered away. It was so frustrating, the way his fingers shook as he walked off. It was so frustrating because he felt like crying.

 

Calm down. You're not a crybaby anymore. Eldritch reminded himself as he used the emergency stairs that were near the garden to climb three floors up. His room was in the fourth floor, which meant not many people wanted to live in it, given it's eerily cold atmosphere, and the fact that the floor number being four hinted misfortune. Eldritch did not care about any of that, and maintenance cost was cheaper anyway. He would have wanted to live in his house and commute to university everyday so he could look after his father. But his home was two hours away from the school and his father would not have Eldritch be late, especially since all of his courses started at seven in the morning. So Eldritch was convinced to stay in the dorm after his father insisted.

 

His footsteps echoed loudly in the silence. Eldritch particularly loved that part about the floor. In such a place, he could study in peace and enjoy his privacy. That is, if only his roommate would stop bringing his girlfriend over, like how it was at the moment. Eldritch had gotten used to hearing passionate and fierce lovemaking from the other side of the door so he was not surprised. Just that sometimes his roommate would fuck the girl on Eldritch's bed, and he hated that. If he were his usual self, Eldritch would have been considerate and would come back later. Today, Eldritch felt like slugging someone really bad so without warning, he burst inside loud enough to wake any dormant ghosts in the room. The impassioned couple appeared to be in shock that Eldritch had barged in a crucial moment, and were frozen still, watching the newcomer cross his arms and look disapprovingly at them.

 

"Well? Get out." Was all Eldritch had to say before the girl hurriedly took her clothes and left, still not dressed when she went out.

 

His roommate put on a pair of sweatpants before standing right in front of Eldritch to glare at him. Eldritch glared back. "Eldritch, you've reached a whole new level of rude, huh? Want a fight?"

 

So they did. Though it was only for a few twenty minutes, the both of them were thoroughly beat when they finished, Eldritch especially sporting a black eye, a bump on the back of his head and a swollen gash on his lip. There were other bruises here and there, but the pain made Eldritch feel better so he wasn't bothered. If anything, he was thankful towards his roommate for being childish enough to fight him seriously.

 

"Picking a fight. You're weird as always, Ritch. But you're a good guy, I know that much." His roommate said.

 

"You sound gross. I don't need compliments from a guy who can't even fuck properly." Eldritch replied.

 

"I can't when you're all over the place!" His roommate sounded exasperated that Eldritch had to snigger. The other was not amused. "Anyway I might have told you this before. I'm moving out this afternoon. Marisse has always wanted to live together and I finally saved enough. Plus she's always spooked when you're around so it was only a matter of time."

 

"Oh. Congrats, Nikola. Need help?"

 

This is correct. This is how a good goodbye is supposed to be, Eldritch thought, his mind drifting back to Samuel. Seriously, how hard was it to tell him beforehand?

 

Sammy is a coward.

 

"Nah. My stuff's all boxed. We were just doing it here as some sort of finale sex. You know, when anticipating new beginnings?" Nikola explained with a grin on his beaten up face.

 

"No, I don't understand what a finale sex is supposed to mean but I sure ruined yours." Eldritch was grinning back as he removed his glasses and climbed onto his bed. Thankfully they did not do it on his bed this time so it was dry and clean. "Hey, I'm going to sleep so I can't see you off. See you around Nikola."

 

"Yeah." The other was already at the door when he stopped to add. "By the way, Ritch, the dorm manager asked me if you wanted to move to a room on the second floor. With all these unfurnished rooms here, only this one is usable. No one will be using the other rooms soon. You'll be alone in the entire floor if I'm not around."

 

"No need. I like it here." Eldritch answered with his eyes closed, rolling on his side and facing the wall. He heard Nikola say an okay before there was the sound of the door closing. Left alone, Eldritch soon felt himself sinking to sleep.