The night before
Nash lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
The dorm room was small — two beds, two desks, two closets, one window that looked out at the lake. His roommate was already asleep, soft snores drifting from the other side of the room. Wisdom. Tall, friendly, talks-too-much Wisdom. Who had somehow decided they were friends after one lunch.
"You're still awake."
"Yeah."
"It's late."
"I know."
"You should sleep."
Nash didn't answer.
The ceiling had a crack in it. Shaped kind of like a fish. Or maybe a cloud. He'd been staring at it for an hour.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"Liar."
Nash sighed. "Just... wondering if this was a bad idea."
"Transferring?"
"Yeah."
Silence. Then:
"It's too early to know."
"Feels like a lot."
"It is a lot. That's why you're here."
Nash turned his head. Across the room, Wisdom slept peacefully, completely unbothered by the world.
"He's nice."
"Yeah."
"That's rare. People like him."
Nash didn't answer. But he kept looking at Wisdom's sleeping form for a long moment.
Maybe Cyro was right. Maybe.
He closed his eyes. The fish-shaped crack followed him into dreams.
---
Morning
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Nash's eyes snapped open.
5:01 AM.
He stared at the clock. The clock stared back.
"You changed the alarm?"
"I set it to six."
"It's five."
Nash sat up. Looked at the clock. Looked at his phone. Looked back at the clock.
"...I set the wrong one."
"Impressive."
"Shut up."
Across the room, Wisdom stirred. Rolled over. Mumbled something unintelligible. Went back to sleep.
Nash watched him for a second. Genuinely jealous. Then he swung his legs out of bed and started his day.
---
The morning passed in a blur.
Power Theory with Instructor Vex — boring, as always. Nash definitely didn't fall asleep. Cyro definitely didn't snore. (They did. Both of them.)
History of the Fall with Instructor Thorne — actually interesting today. Something about the early days after the Crescent Fall, when beasts first appeared and humanity had to learn to fight back. Cyro stayed quiet through most of it. Thinking. Remembering, maybe.
"He's wrong about some details," Cyro said quietly as class ended.
"About what?"
"The early days. He wasn't there. I was."
Nash filed that away for later.
Physical Conditioning with Instructor Mira — absolutely brutal. She smiled the whole time. That woman was terrifying.
By the time lunch rolled around, Nash was tired, sore, and ready to sit in one place for more than ten minutes.
---
"Same table today?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I like Wisdom."
"You've known him for one lunch."
"I'm an excellent judge of character."
"You thought the cafeteria lady liked you. She was just asking if you wanted more rice."
"...She had kind eyes."
Nash snorted. Almost laughed. Caught himself.
The hallway opened into the cafeteria. Same chaos as yesterday. Same noise. Same smell.
Wisdom was already at their table. Waving.
"Nash! Over here!"
Nash walked over. Sat down. Wisdom had saved him a spot — and, apparently, grabbed him food.
"You looked tired. Got you rice and meat. No vegetables, since you're weird about those."
Nash blinked at the tray. "...Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Wisdom dug into his own food. "How was morning?"
"Boring. Then brutal. Then Mira."
Wisdom winced. "Yeah, she's something else. First time she made me run until I threw up."
"She made you throw up?"
"Twice." Wisdom grinned. "I got faster though."
Nash shook his head. Took a bite of rice.
"I like him more," Cyro said.
"Shut up," Nash muttered.
Wisdom looked up. "Huh?"
"Nothing. Rice is good."
"Right?" Wisdom nodded sagely. "Best thing here. Everything else is questionable."
---
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Well, comfortable for Nash. Wisdom hummed. Waved at people. Occasionally pointed out someone interesting.
"That's Vex. Instructor Vex's kid. Poor guy."
Nash looked. Saw a skinny boy with his father's tired eyes.
"Does he teach like he lectures?"
"Worse. He assigns extra reading." Wisdom shuddered. "At home."
"Cruel and unusual," Cyro said.
Nash hid his smile behind his water cup.
"And that's the twins I mentioned. No idea which is which. Don't try to figure it out. They get offended."
Two identical girls sat across the room, eating in perfect同步. It was mildly unsettling.
"They always like that?"
"Always. It's weird. But they're nice. Just... synced."
Nash nodded. Filed that away.
---
Wisdom kept talking. Nash kept listening. It was... nice. Easy. No pressure to say much, no awkward silences. Wisdom filled the space naturally.
"You're relaxing," Cyro observed.
"I'm sitting."
"Your shoulders are down."
"They're always down."
"They're not. Usually they're up. Near your ears. Like you're waiting for something bad to happen."
Nash didn't answer.
"They're down now."
He adjusted his posture. Slightly. Definitely not because Cyro mentioned it.
---
Then Wisdom's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Wait, I almost forgot." He looked past Nash, toward the cafeteria entrance. Waved. "Eira! Over here!"
Nash didn't think anything of it. Someone Wisdom knew. Probably another friendly person. Probably—
"Nash."
Cyro's voice was different. Sharp. Focused.
"What?"
"Look."
Nash turned.
And the world stopped.
---
She was walking toward their table.
She was round. Soft. Full in a way that made Nash's brain short-circuit before he even saw her face. Fat — not in the way people used as an insult, but in the way that meant there was more of her. More curves. More softness. More to hold. Hips that swayed with every step. Thick thighs. Arms that looked warm and touchable. A belly that pressed gently against her uniform.
She was chubby in all the right places. Endowed in ways that made Nash's mouth go dry before he even processed her face.
Her dark hair was pulled back, slightly messy. Her expression, from this distance, was neutral — not friendly, not warm, just... blank.
She carried a stack of books against her chest, pressing into softness. Moving with purpose. Not looking around. Not smiling at anyone.
Then she got closer. Five feet away. Three.
And he saw her face.
Round. Full cheeks. Brown eyes that weren't warm right now — they were sharp, assessing, slightly annoyed at having to walk across the cafeteria. Her mouth was set in a flat line. Not a smile. Not even close.
She was beautiful.
Not in the way magazines said. Not thin or delicate. She was real. Solid. Present. And she looked like she might bite his head off if he said the wrong thing.
Nash forgot how lungs worked.
"Nash."
Cyro's voice came from very far away.
"Your heart."
He knew.
She reached the table. Dropped the folder in front of Wisdom. Hard enough to make a slap sound.
"Here." Her voice was flat. Tired. "You left this. Again."
Wisdom grinned like he hadn't just been publicly executed. "You're the best."
"I know." No warmth. No smile. Just facts. "Try not to lose it again. I'm not your secretary."
"You love me."
"I tolerate you. There's a difference."
Wisdom laughed. Unbothered. Used to this.
Then he gestured. "Eira, this is Nash. New transfer. Dormmate."
Eira turned.
Looked at him.
Her eyes were brown. Flat brown. They traveled over his face once — quick, efficient, assessing — and found him wanting.
"Hey." One word. No smile. No warmth. Just acknowledgment that he existed, delivered with the enthusiasm of someone acknowledging a mildly inconvenient pebble on the sidewalk.
Nash opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"Say something," Cyro hissed.
"I—" His voice cracked. "Nash. I'm Nash."
Eira's expression didn't change. "Cool."
She turned back to Wisdom. "I'm leaving. Don't wave me over again unless you're dying."
"You're so sweet."
"I'm really not." She walked away.
Nash watched her go.
Every step. Every sway. The way her hips moved. The way her uniform pulled across her back. The softness of her arms. The thickness of her thighs. The roundness of her—
"She's gone."
He blinked.
"Nash. She left. You can breathe now."
He inhaled. Realized he hadn't been.
Wisdom was staring at him.
"...You good, bro?"
Nash turned. Wisdom's expression was caught between concern and absolute delight.
"Yeah. Fine." His voice sounded strangled. "Just... spaced out."
Wisdom's eyebrows shot up. "Spaced out." He looked at where Eira had disappeared. Looked back at Nash. A slow, knowing grin spread across his face.
"Oh. OH."
Nash's stomach dropped. "What?"
"Nothing." Wisdom's grin widened. "Nothing at all."
"He knows," Cyro said.
"He doesn't know anything."
"He definitely knows."
Wisdom picked up his fork. Started eating again. Humming. Loudly.
Nash sat frozen.
"Your shoulders are up again."
"Shut up."
"Your face is red."
"Shut UP."
"She was rude to you."
"I know."
"She barely looked at you."
"I know."
"And you're completely gone."
Nash stared at his rice. It stared back, unhelpful.
Somewhere across the cafeteria, Eira sat with her friends. He couldn't see her from here. Didn't need to. Her image was burned into his brain.
Round. Soft. Fat. Chubby. Beautiful. And completely, utterly uninterested in him.
"Well," Cyro said, ancient and thoroughly amused. "This is going to be hilarious."
Nash wanted to die.
Just a little.