IGNORANTIA (Dark Academia!Wesper AU)

vier

My roommate isn't very hard to find. He lays upside-down on his bed, picking the black nail polish off of his fingers, tongue sticking out in deep concentration. When I enter our shared room, he grins and pulls himself up to look at me properly.

"How'd it go?" Jesper asks.

"Shouldn't you have a class right now?"

Jesper shrugs and slides onto his stomach. He kicks his legs gaily as he picks at his nail polish again. I know there's a stash of polish remover behind our bathroom mirror; I accidentally spilled some of it on my shirt last week when it fell on me.

Reluctantly, I draw the envelope from my jacket pocket and hold it out to Jesper. It piques his interest immediately, and he stops kicking his legs.

"Can you read this for me?" I ask, holding it out towards him.

The room we share is so small, he doesn't have to move all that much. He grunts and stretches forward, his shirt and vest rising to show a peak of dark, muscular back. I try not to stare at it. But it's a bit like a horror show, isn't it? I just can't help myself if it's right there.

He opens the envelope noisily and pulls out the letter. I watch his gray eyes scan the document, reading it line for line; left from right in several quick, fluid motions.

His face splits open with a wide grin as he looks up excitedly.

"Wylan, this is amazing!!" He says. "Congratulations!"

"Jesper."

He seems confused at first, but then the realization finally hits him. His mouth forms a small "oh!" as he buries his face back into the letter, muttering, "Sorry. I'll actually read it out loud this time."

Jesper clears his throat and begins.

"'To Whom It May Concern,'" he reads. "'Congratulations on your success! You have been selected to lead Kerch into a better future — a richer future.'"

I can't help but roll my eyes, and the smirk on Jesper's face makes it seem like he agrees with me.

"'KU is creating a team of bright young chemists to help engineer new serums to help further our country's development," he continues. "Labs will be open from seven to eleven bells at night, with security intact to keep you secure. For each successful lab day, one hundred kruge will be delivered to your private bank account. For more questions, please ask Professor H. Callaghan. We hope to see you soon.Ignorantia tua est inimicus.'"

Jesper looks back up at me, expression bright and gleaming. He reminds me of a child window-shopping for the winter holidays. He honestly seems more excited about this than I do. Not that it's all that hard, of course; I feel nothing positive nor negative about this so-called "opportunity".

I know it's supposed to be this big achievement, but it doesn't feel that way. I don't know. Maybe I would be able to enjoy myself more if it wasn't for what Callaghan had done to Juliette.

I wonder if Jesper knows Juliette. She's Nina's lab partner, after all, though I guess that doesn't really mean anything. I can see Nina being more of a private person; someone who holds too many secrets. She stares at her surroundings like they're simply chess pieces, and she is the smartest player in the room. It wouldn't be out of character for her to keep Jesper in the dark.

Which is rude. I shouldn't be assuming stuff about people I don't know, but I can't help it.

"We gotta celebrate this!" Jesper says, jumping up from his bed.

"We do?" I say.

"We do." He gasps and grabs my wrist, his grip on me too firm. "I need to take you out to an actual party!"