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Noli entered the dormitory, gently shutting the door behind him as he threw his bag onto the floor. The first shape he could make out was that of 007n7, his roommate and friend, a hand in his messy hair as he stared at his laptop screen. He'd clearly been working on it for some time now. Noli was used to Seven slaving away at his school work like he was shackled to his worn out wooden desk.
“Dude, you look like you're about to collapse. Take a break.”
Noli called out from the front door, walking over to 007n7 and peeking behind his shoulder, wondering what exactly was so important. It was hard to tell exactly..but it seemed like some sociology crap. Seven hated that class with all of his being.
He let out a weak groan, watching Noli's hand as it reached over to the laptop and closed the screen. Despite the fact the bright white glow from the computer screen had dissolved, Seven's glasses still had that unreadable reflection in their lenses. Noli had to admit, they seemed rather..off-putting at times. The glasses looked kinda..dorky. In an admirable way. They made Seven's eyes look so much smaller than they were during the rare occasions you could actually see through the lens.
007n7's grip on his hair weakened, swiveling his chair to face Noli. His voice was quiet and groggy. Not to mention the prominent bags under his eyes. Knowing Seven, he was most likely pulling all nighters to get assignments done.
“Easy for you to say, ass. I have more important things to work on anyway. Probably more important than this bullshit..”
He grumbled. Despite Seven's irritation, his voice still had that snarky charm to it he always had. No wonder he was such a great liar; his nonchalance was practically through the roof.
His fingertips grazed along the warm surface of the laptop. You could still hear the fans running within the machinery, desperately trying to mediate the device's temperature.
Noli looked at 007n7 with a pleading gaze. He placed a firm hand on the man's shoulder, attempting to coerce him to relax for a little.
"You look like shit. C'mon, we could watch a movie or something." Noli chirped, shaking Seven's shoulder before waltzing over to the couch and laying on the cushioned surface and soft pillows.
007n7 sighed, a gentle smirk creeping up his face. Sure, he could go for a break with Noli for a little while. Seven pushed up off the desk, rising to his feet and walking over to his roommate, who's back was up against the sofa's left side armrest. Seven plopped down next to Noli, nudging him.
"You gonna take up the whole couch or what? Move—" 007n7 yelped as he nudged Noli playfully once again, chuckling as they exchanged casual, meaningless banter. "—over!" Despite Seven's tired state, he still loved to mess around with Noli. It'd lift him up, even if he was completely down in the dumps from his drowsiness. He grabbed the remote once they settled down, their bodies close, shoulders mere inches away from touching.
Noli batted an eye at their closeness, trying his best not to pay much mind to it as Seven looked through the horror section—his own personal favorite genre—on some obscure streaming service. Their relationship had always been rather blurry, although neither of them cared to mention it; always tiptoeing the line between platonic affection and something more. Noli wasn't exactly sure what had been holding them back for so long. He could only sum it up to cowardice, or fear of ruining their tight-knit friendship.
Noli was snapped out of his thought spiral by 007n7, who had been nudging against his side and calling his name several times.
"Noli! Jeez.." Seven exclaimed, seemingly frustrated once he finally caught Noli's attention. He gestured towards the TV. 'Return of the Living Dead' was displayed on the screen in stylized white letters next to a poster and a brief plot synopsis.
"Well..?" He tilted his head, holding the remote close to his side. "Wanna watch it?"
"Huh? Oh..yea, put it on." Noli simply nodded. He skimmed over the description..it seemed worth a watch. Plus, he knew it was one of Seven's favorites. That loser wouldn't shut the hell up about it and how it was 'so bad it's good'. He'd see for himself..
007n7 clicked the remote again, setting it down on a nearby table as he relaxed along with Noli. He subconsciously leaned against the other, pushing his weight onto Noli as Seven stared at the TV, eyes half lidded as the opening scene played out. Noli felt the sudden pressure against his side, glancing over to see Seven closing the distance between them.
"Nols?"
007n7 muttered, looking up to meet Noli's eyes. The latter had placed a hand on Seven's waist without even realizing. Like it was second nature to him. It'd caught Seven a little off guard, but the subtle comfort of Noli's hand gently laid atop his skin sent a shiver down his spine.
"Yea?"
"..Nevermind."
He could stay like this for a little longer.
007n7 rested his head on Noli's shoulder. The lull of sleep had begun catching up to him, no matter how much he'd try to deny it. It was a little ironic. Falling asleep to a movie about zombies brutally killing and eating people. He'd become pretty desensitized to it, as if that'd make the thought of it any better.
The two exchanged casual chatter, whether it was Seven pointing something out in the movie from watching it a million times before, cracking jokes, or just small (albeit awkward) talk. They'd gotten pretty comfortable, 007n7 was practically clinging onto Noli, his arms wrapped around his roommate's stomach, using him as a makeshift pillow. Noli had slung an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer until their bodies were flush against each other.
"Sev. I gotta get—.." Noli's voice dropped to a low whisper, his words trailing off as he noticed Seven's tired demeanor and closed eyes.
Fuck. He fell asleep.
It wasn't all bad. Noli had an excuse to cuddle and hold onto Sev like he would disappear as soon as he let go, but he couldn't move either. He didn't want to disturb his friend’s sleep..he clearly needed it.
Noli cautiously reached over, wary to wake Seven up, and turned the TV off. The faint hum of a cheap ceiling fan was the only audible noise in the dorm with the produced sounds from the TV gone. Seven wasn't much of a snorer. Surprising that there wasn't a crazy party happening on their floor. Noli felt he might as well try to get comfortable. He was gonna be sleeping here as well for all he knew.
He slowly lowered his body to lay down on the couch, propping his back up against an arm rest. It wasn't the best, and he'd probably wake up with an ache in his back, but there wasn't anything he could do about the shitty quality of the college-funded couches. Despite being asleep, 007n7’s wrap around Noli's back had persisted, his head falling to rest on the man's chest like he was stuck to him. Noli put his legs up, shifting around some more until his lower half was practically trapped by Seven. He had no idea how to explain this in the morning, but that was the least of his concerns.
Noli looked down at Seven, placing a hand on his head and running it through his hair. It always seemed to be so messy no matter how much he washed or brushed it. Noli stared up at the ceiling, continuing to idly pet 007n7’s hair, the action soothing his nerves.
He savored every second of the moment.
He would've given anything to stay like this.