-rainbow cookie, tracob

7,

-

It was a whole week until Jacob managed to drag Troye out of his flat. Who knew midterms were actually important to people? Troye still answered his calls and texts without fail, and he always seemed delighted when Jacob came to sit with him while he studied, but after the fifth offer of a study break was shot down with firm denial and puppydog eyes, Jacob had given up. He twiddled his thumbs around his dorm room and Troye's flat, passed his midterms with solid C's, and waited (relatively) patiently for Troye to be free once again.

Jacob was waiting on the couch in Troye's flat when he returned from his final exam. "Hi, Jay," Troye drawled, appearing unconcerned that someone who didn't live there was sitting upside down with his feet over the back of the couch and his head hanging off as he watched the telly. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Nah, only about fifteen minutes. I showed up just as Adam was heading out. He said I could wait here for you." Jacob mustered up all of his grace and managed to right himself without kicking over a lamp, enjoying the sudden pounding of his pulse in his ears. "Not a terribly exciting match," he explained.

"Guess what?" Troye was grinning from ear to ear, his hands clasped behind his back as he rocked up onto his tippy-toes and back over and over again.

"You've cured cancer?"

"N-no?"

"Solved world hunger?"

"Uh. No."

"Negotiated peace among the nations?"

"Jacob. Stop," giggled Troye. "You already know. You've only been nagging at me for a week about it!"

"Have you finished your exams, then?"

"Yes!"

"Then it's even better than I expected!" declared Jacob, jumping up to give Troye a high five that was enthusiastically received. "You've been working so hard this week. I'm proud of you, kid."

Troye rolled his eyes. "Thanks mum."

"Oh please. Friends can't be proud of friends? I think it's perfectly reasonable. Especially considering that you're succeeding where I stubbornly fail."

"Stubbornly is right," mumbled Troye with a smirk.

"How about you shut up or I won't take you out to celebrate like I had planned, yeah?"

"Where are we going at 3:00 on a Thursday afternoon?"

"Food," declared Jacob immediately. "Always food."

"What about that place we were going to go to a few weeks ago? The new place a few streets down from your dorm?"

It would take a microscope to see the way Jacob's smile flickered, but he was painfully aware of remembering the circumstances of their last attempted lunch date. Last time, when Troye had returned looking definitely fucked and definitely sad, crestfallen and empty and desperate to hear that he was wanted and appreciated.

"That sounds great," he simply replied when he's banished that image of Troye from his head. "You wanna walk, or shall I drive?"

"If we walk, are you going to complain the whole time?"

"Probably."

"Then we're driving, please," Troye snorted.

Jacob ordered the biggest burger they had, and only rolled his eyes a little when Troye ordered a grilled chicken wrap. "What is it with you and health food?" Jacob asked around a mouthful of chips. "You're nineteen. Aren't you supposed to live off of pizza and beer?"