Baby it's Cold Outisde

Chapter 5 | Hopelessly Devoted, Wilbur Soot

A month and a half later

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

Y/n is walking down the campus pavements.

"Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit."

Her face has darkened to a bright red and her head had felt dizzy all of a sudden.

She ignored the concerned stares she got; once stares of disapproval and degradation; now worry as she's turned the men in the school around to believe that she had a purpose being there.

The way she climbed up the ladder with little to no effort to be put in a spot with the label of 'Almost as knowledgeable as Terrance.' Right above the step where Wilbur sat. She's become the talk of the town in only a month.

"Hey, ankle biter."

Y/n stops, turning on her heels upon hearing Wilbur. She's nearly in tears when she does and Will instantly regrets calling out to her with the useless nickname he's given her. Though she was shorter than he was, she was tall for a woman.

"Will." She whimpers, grip tightening on the strap of her bag. "Y/n- are- are you okay? Come here." Y/n ushers towards Will, his arms open as she crashes straight into his chest. Her arms wrap around his upper torso, tears now falling onto the fabric of Wilbur's coat.

He smiles sadly down at her, gently brushing his hands through her hair.

"Come on let's go somewhere private."
____
Y/n had calmed down and Will found an empty classroom for them to talk in for a while. They sat on the floor in the back of the room next to some windows.

"So..." Will began, recalling all that Y/n told him.

"You were with Terrance. He smiled at you. You realized you liked him. So you got overwhelmed and started crying."

Y/n slumps over, her head falling on his shoulder as she groans heavily. She's embarrassed that she caused such a scene. Especially when all Terrance did was smile at her.

She can remember back to their little moment.

They'd been sitting in the library by the campus.
Y/n needed assistance with a certain subject, and Terrance just happened to be good at it.

They spent hours working on it together till Y/n understood. Even then, Terrance would make sure to challenge her with more studies. She understood though. It was nothing about tormenting her. But more like he didn't want others to underestimate her skill as they did in the beginning. If she was going to compete for the most knowledgeable on the campus, she'd have to beat Terrance.

And Terrance truthfully liked finding someone to finally challenge him the way he challenges others.

For a moment, he was completely stumped on a line where it involved words, forming a story with the question hidden in it. Terrance despised word problems. He didn't understand why they needed a whole scenario when they could just give them the numbers.

As he grumbled to himself at the confusion, Y/n firmly slams her pencil onto the desk.

"Done!"

Y/n was always full of surprises. But for some reason, this one situation had made Terrance play all the times she's surprised him in his head. Mentally he recalls the first time he heard her real laugh, the first time she confided in him about her dedication to education, the first time she persuaded others to think outside the box, the first time he began to think that she hadn't had something up her sleeve.

Maybe, Y/n wasn't trying to take something from him...

Often, Terrance would think, "what does she want from me?" But he never truly got rid of that suspicion till now.

Cracking a smile, his brows furrowed as he begins to chuckle.

Y/n sits still, almost paralyzed as the chuckles turn into laughter.

After a moment of recollecting himself, and Y/n staring, cheeks reddening and eyes wide, Terrance gazes into her direction once again and smiles as he speaks, his eyes so velvety soft.

"You never cease to amaze me."

After that, Y/n couldn't help but feel the puzzle pieces finally fit together. The way he looked at her, eyes so velvety and soft. She wanted nothing more but to see Terrance look at her that way more often. To smile at her so sweetly, to laugh and be comfortable. She wanted him to see her the way she saw him.

Overcome with emotions, Y/n calls it a day swiftly as she speaks quickly and urgently, cleaning up her supplies and not even letting Terrance get a word in as he sits there confused.

That is when she runs away, head hot and mind swarming with Terrance's smile.

God, she liked him.

"Will..." Y/n whines, aggravated with herself for leaving him in the dust so stupidly. Wilbur simply laughs and watches as she shakes his arm.

"It's okay Y/n! It's normal human emotions to end up liking someone this way."

Y/n doesn't look up at him like she usually does, and he's glad she didn't as he lets his smile falter for a moment. He feels his heart ache as he speaks, his chest heaving as he tries to take away the pain.

"I know... but it's just- I don't know..."

Y/n's leaning against him, her cheek smushed against his arm. He can only be grateful and appreciate the moment which was never meant to be his. He's glad he could have at least one scene where it was he and Y/n together. Whether or not she reciprocated his feelings.

"Here me out," Will begins, his voice firm yet gentle.

Y/n glances up at him with only her eyes, his stare off somewhere distant. She bats her eyes away, looking for whatever it is Will was so interested in.
"To be honest, I think Terrance likes you too. Plus, you'd be good for each other. I see it." He hums. He hates to say it, but Will had no intention of taking away something that he already had from Terrance. Will could have plenty of relationships if he wanted. Terrance, could not.

A part of him wanted to beg Y/n to stay with him instead. Announce him hers and tell her all about how he could make her happier than Terrance could. That he could like or even love her more.

But he didn't have the heart to do such a thing.

"You really think so?" Y/n pulls herself away from his, a hand still on his arm.

"Mhm... and I'm willing to help you both."

Wilbur finally meets her eyes, after a long while of trying to avoid contact. And he smiles. "You're the best, Will." Y/n sighs, resting her head against his shoulder again. He can only chuckle in return, adjusting his glasses.

"I know."
____
Walking out of the classroom, as if planned, Terrance turns the corner. Wilbur was first to notice, slowing his pace when Y/n walks ahead and finally catches Terrance's distant figure.

Her eyes brighten, cheeks flush and her smile becomes wider.

"Oh... hi again, Y/n," Terrance speaks, his eyes sort of softening when he sees her. Will watches again, the way she rushes to him and the way Terrance smiles when she stops in front of him. There was something there Wilbur hasn't seen before. Terrance felt... a little more vulnerable. He didn't seem to notice himself, but there was definitely a crack in the walls he built around his heart somewhere.

And Will is certain that Y/n was the reason.

For Y/n was never his to begin with, it must've been Terrance.