damask rose || one

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[ yeet i've thought of three scenes for this before i even started this draft i'm excited

⚠️ - language, ezra being an ass, and mentions of cheating

stay safe!
lew. ]

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After reading all those college au fanfictions, Bailey was definitely disappointed in his roommates.

Well, not really Chase, she was exactly what he expected because hey, he'd known her for years. It was Ezra that was the problem.

The first red flag had to have been the utter hostility when Bailey tried to introduce himself. He'd attempted to give Ezra a container of cookies he made, but he just ended up with a door slammed in his face.

There were other small issues, things he'd normally overlook, but the final straw came one morning before class. Bailey went to make breakfast, and couldn't find his vegan bacon in the fridge. Ezra showed a real aversion to the stuff, going as far as calling it a 'fucking abomination' which honestly upset Bailey a little bit. All he wanted to do was try and save some of the cute little piggies from being butchered, but...

That was it. After class, Bailey was going to buy a mini-fridge to keep in his room.

——

"Do you have the assignment for— Is that one of Logan's shirts?" Ronnie looked bewildered as soon as he actually paid attention to his oldest roommate, who was curled up on their shitty couch and playing on his phone.

Lewis looked up and almost jolted himself off the furniture in an attempt to get himself into a sitting position. "Uh... I, um- I dunno, man. It was— I found it in my laundry and just figured it was one of my dad's old ones."

"I'm going to pretend like that isn't the exact same shirt Logan was wearing when Harry and I left for class this morning. I'd hope you have enough common sense to change before Harry gets back." Ronnie, like the angel he was, gently put his bag down before sitting next to Lewis and grabbing his hand. "Next time, I will tell Harry."

Again, being caught off-guard by the other man's words, Lewis just stared, mouth gaping open like a fish out of water. Finally, when he could form words, he spoke in the highest voice Ronnie had ever heard out of him. "Um... what assignment did you need?"

——

Bailey's kindhearted nature should be counted as a treasure sometimes.

On the first free evening of the semester he had, he coerced Chase to meet the guys across the hall with him. He'd even dressed up for the occasion, leaving his chewed on hoodies behind in favor of wearing a decent shortsleeved button-down. Chase, despite all her griping, managed to even drag Ezra along, even if she had to bribe him with alcohol.

Bailey, being the least threatening of the three, knocked on the door, messily decorated Tupperware bowl of cookies clutched to his chest. A few long seconds passed before anyone answered, a tired looking guy who honestly reminded Bailey of a warmer, more friendly Ezra.

"Can I help you guys?" He asked, giving them a quick once-over. "Did one of my roommates invite you over—?"

"I'm Chase, this is Bailey and Ezra, we're your neighbors, and you're hot," she replied, doing finger-guns like the disaster she was before she turned around to leave. But someone familiar joined the hot guy at the door, then called out to her.

"Hey! You're in my maths class! Do you have the rest of the notes?" The guy speaking had blond hair that he pushed off his forehead, only for it to fall back into place.

She vaguely recognized him, and took a shot in the dark by murmuring, "...Ronnie, right?"

He nodded. "It's the one about functions, and the formulas notes. Lewis spilled water on my notebook while we were studying, and neither of us can read his handwriting."

"I'm guessing you're...?"

The first guy shook his head. "Nah. I'm Logan. Lewis was late for work and that's why he accidentally knocked over his water. He's an idiot sometimes."

"I'll grab my bag, I'll be right back," Chase promised.

Ezra, who still hadn't said a word, nudged Bailey's shoulder a little bit harder than necessary. He almost dropped his Tupperware bowl as a result, which reminded him that he had something. Shyly, he held the container out to Logan, a blush blooming across his nose and cheeks. "I made these for you guys. I just wanted to come over and meet everyone, and it... um... looks like it's a good thing so far."

"I'm guessing you're the ones who've got the apartment across the hall," Logan replied calmly, taking the bowl with a charming smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Can we leave yet?" Ezra finally muttered, rolling his eyes. "You're really cutting into my—"

"Me and Chase were gonna illegally download and watch the, um, new Spider-Man movie if you guys wanna come over later?"

"Bailey. What the fuck." Ezra hissed, jabbing the younger guy in the ribs. Bailey winced, but kept up the shy smile directed at Logan.

"I'll have to ask Lewis and Harry, but I'm down." Logan shrugged, pulling his phone from his pockets. "Harry's still at class, but Lewis should be home soon."

Ronnie, who'd been standing beside Logan impatiently, slipped past him when Chase came back into the hall. "Well?"

"Turns out I don't have them, but my— um... my friend Maureen's gonna bring a copy of hers to me tonight. If you wanna meet up tomorrow morning, we can go over them?" Chase had her arms crossed, almost expectant look on her face.

Ronnie gave her a radiant smile, resting his hands on her shoulders for a second. "Thank you so much. I owe you one."

"It's chill, dude, just don't report us to the building manager and we'll be good."

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[ okie dokie there's a lot to unpack here

- the affair is happening in this
- ronnie knows but thinks it's just a one time thing
- ezra just can't stand bailey
- lewis, ronnie, and chase are all in the same math class
- the last line is just like "oh yeah we get into screaming matches sometimes"
- also i'm half considering making this a tie in to the old 'dead man walking' thing so ezra and chase are (adoptive) siblings

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