Chapter 1: Ben
Summary:
Ben reminisces
Chapter Text
“Good news y'all! Got another roommate joining us soon!”
Ben looked up at Sammy as she poked her head into Yaz's room.
“Already? We're not even done moving in yet.” The athlete said from her spot on the floor, instruction manual for her bedframe in hand.
Sammy came in and kneeled down next to them. “Well I've already had the interview while you guys were packing up and we just finalized the details.” She explained.
“His name is Darius, he's a paleontology student and he's coming in next week with his stuff.”
The Texan turned to Ben. “Oh! And he's getting the room across from you!”
Ben smiled. “Sounds good.” He replied. “Yaz can you hand me the screwdriver?”
Yasmina was about to but it was closer to Sammy, who beat her to it.
“Sorry I couldn't help earlier by the way. I had to finalize things with Darius and I'm already setting up the next interview.” She said.
“Hey it's your house. We're just moving in.” Yaz shrugged.
“Well yeah but I'd still like to help.” Sammy laughed.
As the girls talked Ben thought how lucky he and Yaz were to have found Sammy's ad.
The two were unlikely best friends and they were going to the same college.
Except the whole “living in a dorm building with hundreds of strangers and annoying rules” wasn't really something either of them looked forward to.
So they went apartment hunting. Somewhere close by campus and not too expensive.
Easier said then done.
Then they found the ad.
A “S. Gutierrez” was looking for roommates.
Apparently her landlord always intended the house to be meant for students. And she left the responsibility of finding more tenants to Sammy.
With 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a spacious living room, a large kitchen and a nice yard, it almost looked too good to be true.
Any suspicions the pair might have had about the place were squashed as they came in for their interview with Sammy.
The Texas girl was warm and welcoming to them. Maybe a bit too extroverted for Yasmina’s tastes but she was just so nice. Guess southern hospitality isn't a myth!
They were also lucky Sammy accepted anyone regardless of gender.
He supposed it was just gonna be like the coed dorms they managed to avoid. Except smaller scale. And more respectful of each other.
But Sammy didn't look like the person to accept anyone who'd make anyone uncomfortable with unwanted advances.
Great now he's hoping that Darius guy isn't some sort of creep.
Easy Ben, you haven't even met the guy yet. Save the judgement for later.
The three of them continued to build up Yaz's bed.
After they were done Sammy was getting started on dinner. They offered to help but Sammy insisted they sit down and rest.
She wasn't there to help them with Ben's bed earlier so she'd do the cooking by herself to make up for it. They agreed they'd all clean up together though.
“We should unpack some of these boxes before Darius arrives.” Yas said as she gestured to the boxes littering the living room.
“We've got plenty of time for that. He won't be here till Tuesday.” Sammy assured her.
“Yeah but you haven't seen how much of Ben's toys we need to unpack” Yaz countered with a smirk.
Ben swallowed his food to retort. “They're not toys! They're collectibles!” He defended himself.
“Most of which you bought from toy stores.” His best friend teased.
Ben rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well…shut up.” He lamely replied as the girls laughed.
“Don't worry Ben, I won't judge.” Sammy assured him.
“I actually collect these little figure keychains myself! I've got way too many.” She revealed, and Ben remembered seeing her keys and all the little characters hanging on there.
He wondered how many more she had.
After they cleaned up dinner they all retreated to their rooms. Both Yaz & Ben had some stuff they had to unpack before going to bed.
He just finished making his bed as he unboxed his most important box of all.
The Bumpy box.
He smiled at the large stuffed ankylosaurus as he unwrapped the bubble wrap.
Bumpy was a gift he got from his mother after the uh, camping incident.
It was mostly an apology gift for what happened. Not that Ben ever blamed his mother for the counselors incompetence. Plus he'd never had become close to Yaz if the incident never happened.
Bumpy had a manufacturing error. One of her horns was shorter and lumpier then the other. Ben didn't mind though. She was still cute. And she helped him with his nightmares after what happened.
Okay fine. What had happened was that his mom sent him to a summer camp so he'd get out of his comfort zone.
He hated it.
He hated the rowdy kids. He hated the food. He hated the dirty cabins. He hated everything about the experience.
The only thing he enjoyed was arts and crafts. Where he met a shy girl who had a lot of drawing talent, but she didn't seem so confident about it.
She was confident however, in her running. She was the fastest kid at camp. Something certain boys didn't like. God forbid a girl could outrun.
The same boys made fun of his “dork pouch” and his weird food tastes.
Yeah alright he admits. Carob is an acquired taste.
Anyway one day the ringleader of these boys stole his fanny pack and was playing keep-away with it.
Then out of nowhere he was tackled by a grey blur.
Yasmina.
She saw him being bullied by those jerks and so she did the most sensible thing aside from getting a counselor.
Resort to physical violence.
That day he and Yaz officially became friends.
They were always seen together from then on. They drew together, with Yaz giving him some tips.
They ran together, with Yaz helping him improve his stamina.
And he shared his carob bars with her.
She probably did more for him then he could do for her. But she was grateful for his friendship.
Then on the last day of camp, instead of sleeping in their cabins, they all slept under the stars further into the forest.
Ben hated that the most.
He was thankful they were going home the next day. But as everyone gathered by the buses. Ben realized he couldn't find Yasmina.
He tried to get the counselors attention but he was so small and there were so many other kids, nobody noticed him.
So he decided to look for her himself.
He didn't find her until he went back to were they all slept. And found a very angry sleeping bag jumping around.
Those jerks glued her sleeping bag shut! Are you kidding?? How cruel can kids be?
He grabbed a sharp rock to help rip the bag open. And an irate Yasmina came out like an angry butterfly coming out of it's cocoon.
The two raced back to the parking lot. To tell the counselors what happened, and possibly to prevent Yaz from committing murder at age 8.
But the buses were gone. The counselors were gone. Everyone was gone.
They were left behind.
Abandoned.
Alone.
Three days.
They spend three days all by themselves, abandoned at camp.
The cabins were locked up so they had to break a window to have some shelter.
They couldn't break the locks for the kitchen though.
They survived of carob bars and whatever else the other kids left behind.
On day three a car raced into the parking lot. Ben's mother had come for him.
It was a tearful reunion.
He'd thought he'd never see her again. Like dad.
It was tearful for Yaz as well. Seeing Ben's mother but not her own parents.
As they drove home, mom slammed on the breaks as Yasmina saw her parents car racing past them to the campgrounds.
Quickly turning around for yet another tearful reunion.
Both their parents sued the camp for negligence. They won the case.
His mom used the money to move to Yasmina’s neighborhood.
The two of them became inseparable over the years.
The track star and the nerd. The unlikely duo.
And according to the middle school rumors, the weirdest couple in the school.
But they weren't. A couple. At all.
He had one point though Yaz did have a crush on him and he decided to let her down gently.
She couldn't hold in her laughter as she made it clear she never had a crush on him.
Which was a bit embarrassing and a hit to his self esteem.
But in hindsight it was probably better no girls, to his knowledge, ever crushed on him.
Yasmina was the first person he came out to as gay.
And she in return told him first when she found out she was bi.
He couldn't imagine his life without her in it. So it's only natural they decided to live together for college.
They just didn't expect to live with potentially four other people.
Sammy was nice though. And Darius sounded like he wouldn't be a bad roommate.
That still leaves two rooms left. Two more spots. Two more people.
He wondered what they'd be like.
Chapter 2: Sammy
Summary:
Sammy gets a call
Chapter Text
“Since when do you do rock climbing?” She heard Ben ask Yasmina as she was about to leave.
“Since my new gym has a rock climbing wall. Figured I'd test it out. Could be fun.” Yaz replied.
“Well have fun! Try not to fall!” Sammy called out from the kitchen. With the reassurance that she won't, Yaz walked out the door.
Ben stepped into the kitchen and sat down across from Sammy as she was on her laptop.
“So what are you up to?” He asked. She turned her screen around for him to see. “Whiteboards?” He quirked a brow.
“Yeah I wanna get one for the living room so we can make a weekly schedule.” She explained.
“And we could write down appointments or events, make a chore chart. There's gonna be six people living here. It'll be useful!”
At least Sammy hoped it would work. She had the same idea years ago back on the farm, but with her parents already never straying from the usual routine, and her siblings tendency to forget to write stuff down, the old whiteboard never really got used and ended up being sold at a yard sale.
Thankfully, Ben smiled. “I think that's a great idea. Good thinking!”
Sammy beamed at the praise. “Why thank you Benjamin.” She said in an exaggerated posh accent. Causing the both of them to laugh.
“Oh did you have anything left to unpack by the way?” She asked.
Ben shook his head. “Nah I've got it all sorted out. We are officially box-free!”
“....until Darius arrives tomorrow. Then we're back to square one.” He joked.
“You mean square box.” She said, making Ben snort.
The light brunette stood up. “Well I've got to look over my class schedule. Still got a couple of weeks left before school start but better late then never.”
Sammy waved him off as he went upstairs and made a mental note to go over her own schedule soon too.
She continued her browsing until she found a nice board that wasn't too expensive.
She placed the order after finding some markers to go along with it.
Then she completely forgot about her class schedule and opened youtube.
Going to her watch later playlist and clicked on “Brooklynn unboxes : Faberge Eggs. (What is up with these?)”
As her favorite youtuber retold the history of the overly fancy eggs, her phone rang.
Quickly pausing the video.
Silencing the Esther Stone theme song ringtone, Sammy picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, hi. Is this S. Gutierrez?” The voice on the other end asked.
“Yup that's me, I'm Sammy. I'm guessing you're calling about the open rooms?”
“Yeah I am! I'm gonna be attending classes nearby and this offer came at the perfect time. There are still spots open right?”
That voice. Why did it sound familiar?
“Indeed there are! Two spots left actually. You called just in time.”
“Guess I did. So when can I come in for an interview? My schedule is all cleared up so I can come whenever.”
“Oh! Well tomorrow our 4th tenant is moving in, so we'd be a little busy then but I should have time the day after that.”
“Great! I can be there around noon.”
Seriously that voice reminded her of someone.
“Noon is perfect! I'll see you then…uhm. Sorry I don't think I got your name?”
“Oh shoot, sorry. It's Brooklynn.”
“Oh just like my favo-WAIT! WHAT??”
Chapter 3: Brooklynn
Summary:
Brooklynn makes a video
Notes:
Having some trouble with getting italics to work and I've only managed to get it in 1 spot.
The other words that needed to be italicized are "The" in "The Brooklynn" and "Dumb?!"
Chapter Text
“What's up Brooklanders! It's Brooklynn, coming at you from my brand new room, in my brand new house!”
“That's right! I've officially moved into my new place!”
Brooklynn spun around her room to get better footage. “Check it out! Doesn't my new room look great? It's a bit smaller than my old room but honestly, I like it!”
She turned her camera around so she wouldn't be blocking the view as she filmed her room, giving her audience a good look at her desk set up and view from the window.
“And I wouldn't have been able to have everything done so quickly if it wasn't for my new roommates!”
She turned her camera back to herself.
“That's right! I've got roommates now! And I'm pretty sure some of them are home right now, so….”
“Who wants to go meet them?”
Brooklynn paused her recording and took a breath.
Maybe she should've waited more than a day after getting settled in because she already felt tired from putting up a energetic act.
But for the sake of video consistency, she had to power through and keep recording.
She turned the camera back on as she walked down the hall.
“Okay guys, if I'm hearing correctly, somebody is busy in the kitchen. Let's go bother them!”
Coming down the stairs she could get a look inside the kitchen, where Sammy & Darius were organizing the cabinets.
“Ooh looks like we've found not just one but two roommates!”
Her narration caught the pair's attention, Sammy immediately looked giddy while Darius looked confused.
“Uh, what are yo-” “Are you filming a video??!” Darius was interrupted by Sammy's excited question.
“Indeed I am.” Brooklynn said as she sauntered into the room.
“I'm showing my fans my brand new home and the brand new friends that come with it!”
She got inbetween the two and held her camera as if she was taking a selfie.
“Smile for the thumbnail!”
Darius caught on. “Oh this is for your channel right? Cool!”
“Eeeeh! I can't believe I'm gonna be in a Brooklynn video!” Sammy squealed.
“Isn't living with Brooklynn more exciting than being in a video?” Darius asked.
Sammy waved him off. “Oh you wouldn't understand the difference.”
Darius looked befuddled. “...I really don't…”
“Darius & Sammy everybody!” Brooklynn cut in, introducing them to her viewers.
“Darius here just moved in before me, so we're the newbies! And Sammy is the one who hooked me up with this sick new place!”
Sammy blushed. “Oh, it wasn't anything special. If anything I'm more thankful you still wanted to move in after the interview.”
Brooklynn shrugged. “Hey, what's a little spilled coffee between friends.” She reassured the other girl.
Sammy grinned. “We're friends! I'm friends with the Brooklynn! Eek!”
Darius shook his head bemused while Brooklynn took a moment to show off the kitchen.
“These two are currently getting stuff sorted so ignore the mess, looks pretty good though right?”
“I love this kitchen island. This is gonna be the perfect new set for brand new episodes of Brooklynn Bakes! Coming soon!” She narrated.
“Oh my gosh I love Brooklynn Bakes! If you want I've got some recipes you could try out!” Sammy offered.
Brooklynn got an idea. “Or….instead of sharing your recipes with me, how about we bake them together for the videos?”
Sammy put a hand to her chest. “Oh my God. All my dreams are coming true.”
The Texan eagerly accepted the offer much to Brooklynn’s relief.
Having a co-host of sorts would relieve a lot of pressure from her baking videos.
Doing her best to ignore Darius’ confused muttering of what a Brooklander is, Brooklynn turned her head as she heard the front door open.”
“Ooh! And here's another one of my roommates!”
She caught Yasmina off guard as they entered the living room. “Everyone, this is Yasmina! Say hi to the Brooklanders Yaz!”
Popping out an earbud, Yaz looked at her in annoyance.
“What are you doing?”
“I'm introducing my viewers to my roommates!” Brooklynn explained.
Yaz furrowed her brows. “You mean invading our privacy and filming without consent?” She spat out.
Brooklynn took a step back. “Wow, no need to be so hostile.”
“Then get your camera out of my face! I don't want to be in some stupid video!”
Sammy came in to try and defuse the situation. “Wow now, let's take a moment to calm down an-”
“My videos aren't stupid!” Brooklynn defended herself.
How dare Yasmina call her work stupid? She puts a lot of work into her videos! They're anything but stupid!
The athlete scoffed. “Oh please, anyone can do an unboxing.”
“That's not all I do!”
“Okay guys, maybe let's take a step ba-” Sammy tried to step in again.
“You know I had a bad day today and I don't appreciate coming home to be part of some dumb Influencer’s dumb videos!”
Dumb?
Dumb?!
That's it.
“Yeah well I don't appreciate having my livelihood insulted by a jerk roommate!”
The front door opened again.
“I'm home! They didn't have anymore chocolate donuts at the store so I got some chocolate croi…ssants… instead…”
Ben trailed off as he noticed the scene in front of him.
Sammy standing awkwardly between an angry Brooklynn and Yaz, Darius nervously poking his head out from the kitchen.
Standing there dumbfounded with shopping bags in his hands Ben couldn't help but ask.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Brooklynn let out a grunt of frustration and pushed her way past Sammy and Yaz, storming upstairs.
Yasmina did the same, pushing Ben away as she went back outside.
*SLAM!!!*
Both Brooklynn’s bedroom door and the front door slammed shut in unison.
The other 3 were left standing there. Not sure what to do.
“Seriously what did I miss?”
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Brooklynn fumed in anger in her room.
She couldn't believe Yasmina!
She knew about Brooklynn’s work! She made it clear that she'd continue to make videos once she moved in.
They already discussed this! They said they were okay with it as long as she wasn't being invasive!
And she wasn't being invasive! She just wanted to introduce Yaz to her viewers! That's not being invasive!
…okay maybe she should've told everyone what she was planning to film today.
And maybe she shouldn't have basically forced Yaz into filming something as soon as she got home.
She knows she herself wouldn't appreciate getting roped into something when you just want to get home.
Okay fine! She messed up! She admits it.
But Yasmina was way too rude to her! Insulting her videos, calling her dumb!
That was way too harsh!
But, she was willing to move past this. Give Yaz time to cool off, apologize for springing the recording onto the other girl, and if Yaz apologized to her too, hopefully they can come to a new understanding.
*Knock Knock Knock*
Must be Sammy at the door. She tried to help the situation but both Brooklynn & Yaz basically ignored her. Should probably apologize for that too.
“Come in!” Brooklynn called out.
It wasn't Sammy. And she lowkey would've expected maybe Ben or Darius if it wasn't her.
She did not expect to see Yasmina open the door.
“Hey…can we talk?”
Brooklynn observed the other girl. She looked nervous. And a bit ashamed.
At least she didn't seem angry at her right now.
“...Yeah, come in.” She patted an empty spot on her bed. “Sit down.”
Yaz sat down next to her. The two sat in silence for a moment, each trying to figure out what to say.
Yaz opened her mouth but Brooklynn interrupted. “Wait, wait! Me first.”
Yaz gave her a look but relented. “Okay…”
Brooklynn took a breath.
“I'm sorry for invading your space and filming you without consent. I should've let you know beforehand and asked if you were okay with it.”
Brooklynn observed Yaz's reaction to her apology. “Thank you. I forgive you.” She said with a small smile.
“I've deleted all the footage I had of you too. So you don't have to worry about it.” Brooklynn assured her.
Yaz nodded. “Thanks.”
Now it was the athlete's turn to talk. “I hope you can forgive me too, for calling you and your videos dumb. And stupid. I shouldn't have said that!”
“I swear I didn't mean it and I didn't mean to hurt you! I just, I just had a really annoying day and you coming with your camera just…”
“Was the straw that broke the camel’s back?” Brooklynn offered.
“...yeah…exactly.” Yaz hung her head in shame. “I'm really sorry.”
“It's okay, I forgive you too.” Brooklynn put a hand to the others knee to get her attention.
“I guess we still gotta get used to living with each other.”
“Guess so. Closest thing I ever had to roommates were the other girls in my cabin at summer camp.” Yaz told her. Then grimaced. “Which wasn't really all that great.”
Brooklynn winced. “Yikes. Sorry to hear that.”
Yaz shrugged. “Eh, it happened in the past. Plus that's where I met Ben.”
Now that sounded interesting. “Oooh, I'd love to hear that story someday.” She said, causing Yaz to smile. “Eh, I'll tell you eventually. It's a long story.”
Brooklynn accepted that, still she was determined to find out. She always been horribly curious.
“Okay. Maybe you can tell me what got you so mad today? Get it off your chest?” She offered instead.
What? Like she said she was curious okay?
Yaz considered the offer. She seemed a bit hesitant but figured it couldn't hurt.
“Alright so. I've been taking these rock climbing lessons at my gym.”
“Ooh fun!”
“Yeah I thought it would be. But the instructor? Complete dumbass who doesn't think women can climb as good as guys!”
“No! That jerk!”
“I know! I'd quit but I want to prove that jerk wrong so I decided to stick with it.”
“Mmh. Spite. Good reason.”
“Thanks. Anyway that's not the worst part. I can just tune out Mr. Misogyny. But there's this other guy there taking classes, and he's just. He's…”
“He's what? Worse than the instructor? Is he harassing you?”
“What? No!” Yaz looked shocked at the accusation. “He's just. Ugh. You know those super annoying “dude bro” types?”
Brooklynn nodded.
“Yeah that. He's exactly like that. He's constantly trying to show off and boast about his skills, and the worst part is that he's actually good at it!”
“Oooh. Yeah that's annoying.”
“It's not just that, but there's some kids classes taking place too and he's honestly pretty good with them. He's like a cool big brother figure to them which makes it hard to hate him you know?”
Brooklynn intently listened to Yaz's complaints about rock climber guy.
He was boastful. Flirty but in a kinda pathetic way. Good with kids. Unfortunately funny. A great rock climber. And the worst of all…
“He gave me some tips and he's honestly better at teaching than the actual instructor!”
“Oooh…so like, he annoys you that much?”
Yaz sighed. “It's more that I can never figure out whether to like him or hate him. And that sexist instructor isn't helping either.”
Brooklynn nodded. She understood Yaz's frustrations.
She's had collaborators in the past that were really annoying, but good at what they were doing so she had to put up with them for the sake of the video.
“Oh! And he calls himself “The Kenjinator”! Unironically!”
They both bursted out laughing at that.
The two of them talked for a bit more. Brooklynn sharing some of her own experiences with annoying competent people.
They kept talking until Sammy called them for dinner. She looked happy to see the two of them getting along now.
Darius sighed in relief, happy their spat was resolved.
Ben gave Yaz a smug look she rolled her eyes at. Wonder what that was about.
As they all sat down and enjoyed Sammy's cooking, a lingering thought persisted in Brooklynn’s ever curious mind.
She honestly really wanted to meet “The Kenjinator” in real life.
Chapter 4: Darius
Summary:
Darius makes a friend
Chapter Text
Moving out on his own was a big step for Darius. He finally got to truly experience being independent.
That isn't to say he was completely on his own from now on.
Nope. He had roommates.
And so far he liked them.
His mom and Brand helped him move in. His mom almost didn't want to let go once they were done.
Once they left, Sammy told him how her parents were even more tearful when she moved out.
Yaz invited him for her morning runs. Something he himself started doing after…
Well he did it to distract himself from certain things, and he actually started to enjoy it.
Brooklynn moved in after him, she's an Influencer. Popular. But when she found out about his love for dinosaurs, she didn't make fun of him like all the popular people he had to deal with in the past.
She seemed genuinely curious about it.
And Ben.
Well he just came in and asked if he wanted to see his giant ankylosaurus plush.
Now that's how you get Darius to be your best friend.
“She has a little manufacturing error, but that just makes her more special.” Ben said as he showed him Bumpy.
“I get why you called her Bumpy then.” Darius replied as he looked her over.
“This is really well made. A bit cartoony but still pretty accurate. Where'd you get her?”
“Oh she was an apology gift from my mom when I was 6. I honestly don't remember where she got it.” Ben explained. “doesn't have the tags anymore either.”
Hmm. Unfortunate. Darius would love to see if the company that made her had made any more species.
“Wait “apology gift”? Why did your mom have to apologize?” Darius asked.
“Oh it's actually a funny story. Also kinda traumatizing honestly. But mostly funny in hindsight.” Ben said.
Darius listened to Ben retell his old camp story and how he met Yasmina.
He failed to see what was so funny about two kids being abandoned at camp honestly.
“How did they not realize they were two kids??”
Ben shrugged, clearly having gotten over any lingering trauma from the experience.
“Eh, it's not like Tiff and Mitch were the best counselors while the camp was running anyway.I think the camp closure was inevitable.”
Darius still sat in shock as he took it all in. As he tried to process how someone could be so negligible, he looked around Ben's room.
When hearing about the giant ankylosaurus plush, he hoped Ben was also a “Dino nerd.”
And as he looked around, he did see a lot of fantastical looking reptiles decorating the room.
Just not the ones he expected.
Ben noticed him looking around. “Oh, you like dragons too? I mean they're basically the same as dinosaurs, just with wings and fire and all that.”
Ben got up to show Darius some more of his stuff while Darius said there as if he had been slapped.
Dragons and dinosaurs? Basically the same? Excuse me???
“...fell in love with the movies after that, then the tv series, and we'll I couldn't not start collecting all of these and I kinda, never stopped.”
Darius only caught the end of what Ben was saying. He was still hanging onto that comparison.
“I'm sorry, did you just say dragons and dinosaurs are the same thing?” Darius interrupted, incredulously.
Now Ben looked confused. “I mean, they kinda are. Both are big scary reptiles right?”
Ben picked up an amber colored dragon with colorful wings. “Like, the Death Song is basically a Dilophosaurus but it sings. Pretty cool right.”
Ben then noticed the absolutely horrified look on Darius’ face. “Uh…you okay?”
Darius suddenly sprung up and got in Ben's face. “Dinosaurs and dragons are nowhere near similar! Dinosaurs have actual scientific proof showing their existence! While dragons are just made up fantasy creatures for people that don't think dinosaurs are already cool enough!”
Ben awkwardly stared as Darius had gotten very close during his rant. “You're very passionate about this aren't you?”
Darius suddenly felt very sheepish for basically cornering Ben like that.
“Eheh. Sorry.” He backed up. “I am, honestly. Really passionate about dinosaurs.” He admitted.
Ben shrugged. “Hey, it's cool. I'm the same about dragons. The two don't have to invalidate each other, right?”
Darius realized he got way too defensive when Ben wasn't even attacking him in the first place.
“Yeah, yeah you're right, I'm sorry I…I didn't mean to…” Darius trailed off.
“Lash out like you were standing up to a bully making fun of you?” Ben guessed.
Honestly? “Yeah…”
Darius looked at Ben's face.
Ben got it. He understood. He's a nerd too, just like him.
A nerd who towers over most people and is way too buff, but still. A fellow nerd.
Darius listened to Ben talk about dragons until dinner. After which Darius took his sweet time telling Ben about dinosaurs.
It was nice to make a friend.
Chapter 5: Yasmina
Summary:
Yasmina meets Kenji
Chapter Text
Trying new things wasn't anything new for Yasmina.
She spent almost her whole life training to be an Olympic runner before pivoting to studying Psychiatry.
So picking up rock climbing isn't all that drastic in comparison.
Still, she might have thought things through more before signing up.
Or at least find out what the instructor is like before committing to anything.
But here she is. Committed to rock climbing, with a horrible sexist instructor who keeps calling her “Jasmine” and refusing to quit out of spite.
Some people, whose name rhymes with Glenn, would say she doesn't know when to quit.
He might have a point.
“Keep it up Jasmine! You're finally getting the hang of it!” The instructor called out to her.
Her grip on the rock tightened as she silently fumed.
“Little word of advice, purposely falling on somebody is grounds to get you kicked out of the gym.”
Her head whipped around to see who said that. She was so focused on being angry she didn't even he had swung over to her.
The Kenjinator.
“What?” She glared at him.
“Just looked like you were contemplating getting back at Hoskins.” He shrugged.”I wouldn't blame you though. The dude sucks.”
That they can agree on. Yaz grumbled and went back to climbing.
“I've seen you around the last few weeks. You're pretty good.” He complimented her. Seemingly trying to start up a conversation.
Something Yaz wasn't interested in.
“Thanks.” She grunted. Hoping he'd leave now.
He didn't.
“I saw you on the treadmill too! You're like, super fast. Do you run? Like, professionally?” Guess she wasn't getting rid of him anytime soon.
She sighed before answering. “Used to. Switched career paths.”
“To rock climbing?”
“Psychiatry.”
“Huh. Quite a leap wouldn't you think?”
“You're starting to sound like my mom.”
This got a good laugh out of The Kenjinator.
She should probably ask for his actual name. It's probably Ken or something. Or Nator. Possibly.
“I'm Kenji.” He held out a hand to shake.
Huh, Kenji. Yeah that makes sense.
She ignored his hand. “Yaz.”
He hummed. “Yaz…cool name. I'm guessing it's not short for Jasmine right?”
She shook her head as she looked for a good hand hold. “Yasmina.”
“Ah, yeah I can see why Hoskins calls you Jasmine. He keeps calling me Kenny too. Swear he does it on purpose.”
Okay this was getting too comfortable. Kenji was starting to be way too easy to talk and listen too for a guy who usually annoys her.
“Do you have a reason for talking to me or do you just like the sound of your own voice?” She abruptly asks.
Kenji laughs again before responding. “I dunno. I just think you're pretty cool.”
He then put on this smarmy grin. “And, pretty pretty. Hehe.” He waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to be flirty.
“Aaaand I'm out.” She said before letting herself drop down.
Kenji’s face fell as she did and scrambled to catch up with her. “Wait! Shit! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that!”
She ignored him as she got down and unbuckled from her harness. She haphazardly tossed it to Hoskins and speedwalked to the locker room.
Should've known he'd just try to flirt with her. Jerk.
She angrily opened her locker and grabbed her bag. She would've left right then and there but Kenji had caught up to her.
“Wait! Please! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have tried to flirt with you! I'm so sorry!” He apologized.
Before she could tell him to move out of her way already, her phone rang.
She sighed and held up a hand to Kenji, telling him to shut up.
Sammy was calling.
“Hey Sam. What's up”
“Yaz! Hi! Quick question, have you left the gym yet?”
“Just about to. Why?”
“Oh good. I wanted to ask if you could pick up some onions on the way home? I completely forgot to get them last time.”
“Yeah sure. Onions. Got it.” She answered. “Oh how did the roommate interview go today?” She remembered.
She heard Sammy sigh. “Not good…”
Ignoring Kenji’s curious look, she focused on her call. “That bad huh?”
“You have no idea! The guy wouldn't stop talking about himself, didn't answer any of my questions, and then he started trying to convince me to buy cryptocurrency!”
“Oh God. That sounds awful.”
“Wanna know the worst part? His name was Kash! Kash! Talking about cryptocurrency!”
“Wow. Just wo-i’m sorry Sammy, this creep is trying to get my attention. Hang on.”
Kenji was suddenly frantically waving his hands in front of her face. “What?!”
“I'm sorry but, did you say roommate interview??” He asked, looking a bit desperate.
“Yes…” She hesitantly answered.
“So, you know someone who needs a roommate. And has a room, for someone. Potentially?” Okay he seriously looked desperate.
She put her phone back to her ear. “Hey Sammy. Remember when I told you about that annoying guy at the gym?”
“Hoskins or Kenjinator?”
“Kenjinator.” She pointedly ignored how Kenji perked up when she said his nickname.
“Yeah I remember. What about him?”
“I think he wants that last roommate spot or something.”
“Really? Well that's perfect! I've got no more interviews scheduled so he can come over whenever. Oh! He can join for dinner! That way we can all interview him together!”
Yaz internally groaned. She hated that the idea makes sense. She really didn't want to deal with Kenji anymore but he did seem genuinely sorry. And Sammy is all excited now.
Ugh.
“Do you have plans tonight?” She asked Kenji.
He looked very surprised by her question.
“Uh no. But I though you didn-” “Great. Your interview is tonight. Over dinner.” She interrupted him.
“He's free. He's coming over tonight.” She told Sammy as Kenji was comprehending what he was hearing.
“Yay! Can't wait! I'll see you both later! And don't forget the onions! Bye!”
“Bye.” She hung up.
Kenji looked at her hopefully. “So, I'm getting that room?” He asked.
“If. And only if, you pass the interview.” Yaz pointedly told him.
He nodded quickly. “Right. Got it!”
“So…you're not mad at me anymore?”
Yaz sighed again. “If you really want to apologize for your poor attempts at flirting. There's one thing you can do for me.”
“Of course! Anything you want! I'll do it!”
“Great. You can buy me some onions.”
The befuddled look on his face was priceless.
Chapter 6: Kenji
Summary:
Kenji moves in
Chapter Text
It's been a long time since he felt this way. But Kenji finally feels like he's on top of the world again.
The interview was a success. Obviously.
Charming his new roommates was easy. Sammy basically laughed throughout the entire dinner.
No surprise he got the room then.
It was way better than the motel he was staying at.
He lucked out on roommates too.
Sammy? Awesome cook! And she's so fun to hang around with! She has this way to just, make you feel better about everything. Her positivity was infectious.
Brooklynn was awesome too. It's been a while since he saw her videos but she's still great at it! She's chill too. Not like other internet celebrities he used to meet…
Anyway. Darius! Okay yeah the guy is a huge dork. But anyone who can tell you how many ways dinosaurs can kill you is a pretty cool dork in Kenji’s book. Dude's fast too. Apparently he joins Yaz for her morning runs everyday. He should see if Darius wants to join the gym someday.
Speaking of Yaz…yeah okay he's pretty sure she still doesn't like him. Admittedly, his own fault. Shouldn't have hit on her.
But to be fair, she's hot, he's hot. It could've worked out. If you know, both of them had more compatible personalities.
Either way, Kenji was pretty happy with his new roommates.
And then there's Ben.
He can remember their first meeting as if it was yesterday…
It was actually a week and a half ago but the point still stands.
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Kenji felt a bit awkward as he opened up the storage locker. Filled with stuff he managed to take with him after…everything that happened.
Very thankful for his new roommates not making any comments about his situation.
Brooklynn & Darius were busy today so it was just Yaz & Sammy helping out.
Oh! And there was another roommate coming who Kenji hadn't actually met yet. Apparently Ben was helping his mother with some stuff for a few days.
He was also Yaz's best friend. Which, might not be so good for Kenji considering Yaz still didn't really seem to like him. But she was here to help him move so maybe she's coming around?
Eh, who knows. Better focus on moving stuff.
“Is that a pool table?” Sammy excitedly asked.
Kenji looked over to the table, moving boxes stacked atop it.
“Yup. To be honest, I don't even know how to play pool.” He admitted.
“Well I do! My dad taught me!” She said as she lifted the boxes off.
Yaz walked over and grimaced. “Too bad we don't have any space for it. And I am not dragging that thing upstairs.”
She was right. He'd need to leave the table in storage. For now at least.
The three of them worked together to move out as many boxes as possible. Figuring out how much could fit in his new room.
“Okay, I think you're gonna have to decide which clothes are most important to you or you need to buy a bigger closet.” Sammy said as she put down another box of clothes down.
“Or donate some of this stuff, bet you'd make some people happy with…” Yaz trailed off as she rummaged through a box. “...12 sets of silk pyjamas…why do you have so many?”
Kenji hastily took the box back from her. “That's between my and my silk. I don't go asking you why you only own striped shirts do I?” He asked, trying to get her to stop asking questions.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Fine. Whatever. But seriously, this won't all fit in your room.”
“Is this desk mahogany?!” Sammy called out from deeper in the locker.
Yaz gave him a deadpan look. “I am not carrying that upstairs either.”
She might not need to, considering Sammy was single handedly dragging it outside in an impressive feat of strength. “It is mahogany!” She happily exclaimed.
Kenji gave a smug look to Yaz but was surprised to see her blushing for some reason.
Before he could ask, or tease her, a van pulled up right outside.
“Ben! Great. He's here.” Yaz seemed very eager to focus on something else.
Kenji only caught a small glimpse of the man stepping outside the van as Sammy suddenly dropped a box of clothes into his hands. “Oof!”
“Come on, let's load up!” She said, carrying 2 boxes herself. Atop the desk. Which she was also carrying over.
Note to self, do not get Sammy mad.
The back of the van was already open as they loaded stuff in. The boxes went in easily enough. But even Sammy needed help lifting the desk inside.
As Kenji lifted from outside, he suddenly felt a pair of strong arms surround him. “Oh here let me help!”
Barely registering Sammy's utterance of thanks, Kenji turned his head to look up to a tall, towering wall of muscle that currently had his arms around him.
To help lift a desk of course.
“Uh, hi.”
Ben, better late than never, realized the awkward position he put Kenji in, and quickly backed off. “Ah! Hi! Hi. Kenji, right? Heyyy.”
“Heyyy…uh yeah, I'm Kenji. And you must be Ben.” He held out his hand to shake. “Glad to finally meet you. Heh.”
“Yeah you too.” Ben shook his hand. “Glad to put a face to the legendary “Kenjinator” finally hehe.”
Legendary?
“Don't inflate his ego. It's already big enough.” Yaz interrupted them.
“Says the girl who keeps talking about him.” Ben replied cheekily.
Well this was interesting. Kenji gave Yaz a smug look, which he quickly wiped away as she threw an empty water bottle at Ben for his comment.
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So….Ben.
Helpful. Funny. Big. Like seriously, Kenji knew he was tall so having to look up to someone isn't something he's done since he was a kid.
…..okay fine! He's pretty good looking too. There, he admitted it. In his own head. Good enough.
He's had to deal with enough crisises in his life already. Now's not the time to add another one about his sexuality.
His new life is starting. He's got a new house! A room for himself! A pool table to sell and of course, he's got roommates!
And one of those roommates apparently talks about him a lot. Hehe, oh he's definitely gonna tease Yaz about that.