Author's Note: I . . . have no excuse for this. None at all. BUT OMG IT WAS SO FUN TO WRITE. This is all the fault of my friend Yamino Majo, who made the initial request. Once again this was written for the fic battle over at the saiunkoku_fic community on LiveJournal. I . . . actually have some ideas left over for this little set-up, we'll see if I ever get around to writing them. Oh, and warnings for language, by which I mean cussin'.
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Seiran glanced at the printout in his hand and nearly tripped over a tasteless green shag hammock chair that had been left in the hallway. He cursed under his breath and edged around someone's overstuffed laundry bag, resisting the temptation to tip over someone else's precariously-balanced box of knickknacks and romance novels.
Who the hell brings a book about sparkly vampires tocollege?
Not for the first time Seiran questioned his sanity in allowing his foster father to talk him into trying the college experience, dorm living and all. The chaos of people and belongings in the hallway made navigating about as dangerous as the freeway during rush hour.
"What's the number again, Seiran?" Shouka called over his shoulder, leaning back to counterbalance the cardboard box he carried, which was piled high with used textbooks.
"307," Seiran said, juggling his duffle, wire hangers, pillow, and ancient radio alarm clock to stuff the paper into the back pocket of his jeans.
"Think I found it," Shouka said, his head craned around the leaning stack of books. "If I shift a bit I can probably-"
"I'll get it!" Seiran said quickly, his imagination supplying a horrifying picture of what might happen if his accident-prone adopted parent attempted to open the door. He dumped the duffle so he could reach past Shouka and release the handle on the scarred door. Fortunately it was unlocked- which meant his new roommate must have already arrived.
The room inside was small, with barely enough space for the two wardrobes, two desks, and two identically ugly lofts that were stuffed inside. One of the desks already boasted a dusty printer and a new computer poking out of its box among the packing peanuts. Shouka set the box of books on the unclaimed desk with a groan of relief, and Seiran squeezed past him to slide his alarm clock on the spare corner, slinging his duffle onto the battered brown linoleum under the loft. He was a bit more careful with the hangers, not wanting them to spill out over the floor.
"Hey, welcome," a voice came from the other loft, directly behind Seiran. "You must be- oh, sweet! I didn't know they had coed rooms here, that rocks!"
The words brought Seiran to his feet in an instantaneous rush of temper, and he cracked his head on the underside of his loft. The pain just added to his anger, and he whipped around to face whatever unfortunate idiot had been assigned as his roommate.
He found himself staring up into a lean, rough face, one with a long jaw and slightly hooked nose, and dark eyes under shaggy bangs. The shadow of stubble accented hollow cheeks, but didn't hide the pale, familiar old scar under one eye.
"Rex?" Seiran choked on the name, one he hadn't said in years, staring at the fading gang mark. "No fucking way."
His new roommate's eyes went wide. "Holy shit, you're a dude. How do you know my- oh, hell way. God is shitting me-"
The crash of textbooks cascading off the desk interrupted them, along with Shouka's aborted yelp as he jumped to catch them and barked his toe on the blocky desk chair.
"I got it, I got it," Seiran said quickly, stepping over the books and guiding his awkwardly-hopping foster father out the still-open door. His heart was hammering all of a sudden, pounding with memories. He had to get Shouka away before his new, old roommate could say anything damning.
"But-" Shouka protested. "You roommate- I should say hello-"
"I'll introduce you and Shuurei at the same time, it'll be easier that way," Seiran said, and closed the door firmly between them.
He turned slowly, and his roommate jumped down from his loft without bothering with the ladder. He was tall and lanky, with a football player's broad shoulders- and a familiar idiot grin to match.
"Fuck me," he said. "It's really you."
"Don't you fucking dare-" Seiran started.
It just made his roommate grin wider. "Twister. What're you gonna do, huh? Damn, you're just the same. Haven't seen you since juvie, man. How's tricks?"