Chapter Text
Gabriel sighed in his bed, sniffling from the cold. So much for the first day of college, he was sick as fuck.
And the only one who shared his lectures for the day was...
Curi.
Who was currently being as helpful as a wet sock.
(09:08 AM) shit we got that professor all the seniors warned us about
(09:08 AM) we're cooked
(09:09 AM) he's already giving us a project
Are you being fr? (09:09 AM)
(09:11 AM) IT"S A GROUP ORPJECT
(09:11 AM) WERE COOKED
(09:11 AM) CROSS MAJOER TOO FUCK
(09:11 AM) YO
(09:11 AM) ISTG I"M GONAN PUNCH THIS GUy
His eye twitched, it would've been real helpful if Curi would actually tell him what the project was instead of spamming his messages. But alas, he had to deal with his friend's stupidity for now and he was nice enough to let it slide.
Which major are we partnering with (09:12 AM)
And wtf is this professor (09:12 AM)
(09:13 AM) sorry Gabby
(09:14 AM) ur on your own for tgus onw
(09:14 AM) lmao
??? (09:15 AM)
I should've asked Guin instead tf is this (09:15 AM)
Hope both sides of your pillow are warm :) (09:16 AM)
(09:16 AM) kys
He sighed and shut off his phone, tossing an arm over his eyes. A few more notifications flooded in, mostly from the group for the arts major complaining about the sudden project and also Curi. His hand grabbed the phone from the nightstand automatically before he could notice.
Gabriel mostly skimmed, finally getting conformation that they were partnering with the computer science majors to... make a website. Oh, god.
A video of the professor speaking was uploaded into the group and very quickly made into a meme.
Other than that, he noticed a couple names popping up into the chat talking about some of the IT students. There was a single name that caught his eye, Exer. A student who had a little rumor floating around about him killing someone, not only that...
Gabriel distinctly remembered going to middle school with this particular guy.
(09:55 AM) yo goodluck
(09:55 AM) you're gonan need it
Meanwhile, in a completely different lecture hall, a certain student was currently nagging the professor. Well, nagging was an understatement, it was more like he was subtly threatening him.
"C'mon, you can't even stand up to another professor?" Exer put on a smile, the sides of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Sorry, I can't do anything about it. I already made a deal with her, my hands are tied." The student frowned at the answer, nearly scowling but no one paid attention to it much. "And plus, this will be a good learning experience for you to work with someone who has very different interest than yours. UI/UX is a vital part of any computer science..."
He tunned him out, choosing to instead turn to his seatmate. "Geez, this guy is really pissing me off."
"Tell me 'bout it." The black haired guy answered him, smirking to himself. Weirdo. "At least I know who I'm gonna be partnering with."
He pretended to give a fuck, "Lucky..."
"You're interesting, I think we're gonna be good friends." Good friends, his ass.
"Sureee..."
This lecture was going to take forever.
First day, huh?
John twisted and turned in bed, trying to delay the inevitable. Time passed by so much quicker here than in the maze, he wondered if he was ever going to find them after all.
"My love, you're going to be late." He heard God's voice still, only when in his dreams and it wasn't for long. "You mustn't keep them waiting."
"What should I do then–" A crash from somewhere in the dorm's hallways interrupted him.
His roommates—that he hasn't even spoken to yet because he delayed moving until the very end—have already long gone to their separate classes. He should probably get going as well, at least he should've. What was missing the first day?
He sighed, starting the painstaking process of getting up and making himself look presentable. It didn't take more than ten minutes but it felt like crawling through sandpaper. And his thoughts kept going to other places, about them, about if they were living a good life, about if they were even here in the first place. Maybe he was just wasting his time and they want nothing to do with him–
"You're still here?" That voice.
John turned around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. There was no way.
The man standing in front of him looked different, had piercings on his mouth and ears, wasn't burdened by the weight of gear on his back. But his voice still had that same gruff quality and his eyes had that annoyed yet fond look to it. His eyes... He's never seen them before.
"Uh, you gonna stand there and what? Stare at my fucking face the entire time?" His face scrunched, confusion evident in his tone. Oh, he missed this. "Kinda gay, dude."
John's brain short-circuited at the last few words. Right, for a moment, he almost forgot that they wouldn't remember him. He pointedly tore his gaze away, looking at the wall instead.
"No, sorry. I was just surprised."
The other man took the time to put his backpack at the corner of the room, tossing it without much care. The bag bounced once before spilling over to the side, the owner didn't even spare it a glance.
"Weird but 'kay, what's your name, guy?" He extended a hand to John who took it without much thought. Expe–The stranger scrunched his face after they shook hands and he didn't comment on it for a whole few seconds. "...Am I interrupting something or.. do you need to shit..? You're kinda shaking."
Was he shaking?
He really couldn't tell, his palms were sweaty. Crap, he must feel that his hands are wet.
JOHN HOLD YOURSELF TOGETHER, YOU'VE PUNCHED THINGS BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION IN THE FACE BEFORE.
God, please help him.
Oh wait, he asked a question. Answer his question, idiot!
"Uh.. my name's God–" CRAP, ABORT MISSION.
ABORT MISSION.
ABORT MISSION.
"I MEANT JOHN! ...John's my name." He instinctively signed his name as well.
His eyes squinted, slightly concerned. They were very expressive now that John thought about it twice. "Has anyone told you how weird you are before?"
"...Lots of times."