One-shots [Reqs: 5]

Very Original Roommates Story

:) I'm very proud of that, it's my first drawing that was made on a computer!

I put more effort into this than usual, so it might be better than the others. That's for you to judge :)

(Not as old, but still old)

(for almost the entirety of cross's part, all I did was R E L A T E)

_______________________

Despite how hard it had been to get into the university, despite how much he had to sacrifice to afford a house on a separate campus, despite how much the world didn't want him to, Cross was surviving. He had a job, he had a good education, he was okay with how everything was going. Even if he had no friends, even if he was alone, he was okay. He was just fine on his own, he always had been.

But if he was honest, he knew he was losing the battle. Good grades can only get you so far. With no friends, he had no way to pick himself back up, he relied on his own arms and legs to hold himself up. With a family unwilling to have him, he had no way to ask for help. With how much everyone seemed to hate him, he had no reason to keep winning when he knows he probably shouldn't. Each victory brings him closer to failure.

Failure. That's a word he's known for most of his life. Drilled into him daily by his 'family', and constantly reminded by their letters that it's what he is. Failure. Such a simple word with so much weight. It burns him when he sees it, it guts him when he hears it, and it rings with truth when he thinks it.

Cross had accepted failure as part of who he was, and what he was. The more he denied it, the worse it would hurt to be reminded. So he accepted it and survived. It was always about surviving. Just get through it. Survive.

Not the best way to live, is it? In Cross's case, you don't live unless you can survive. He can barely survive, so why bother with living? Because he has to. Because it's what they want. Who're they? Maybe a future friend or lover. Someone who will need him one day. That's why he stays. Someday, somewhere, he'll find someone who needs him just as much as he needs them. It's his reason. Reason for what? Surviving. He'll survive so he can live. But, this reason, it's hard to hold on to, and he was never a strong person.

He'll let go of it eventually, whether it's on purpose or not. So he's hoping for that someone to show up soon. He knows it'll happen, it has to. And it did. He just didn't know it would be the very person who would take that reason from him. Sweep him off his feet, and fail to catch him in their arms. Thank god that they have tentacles to catch him when their arms fail.

________________________________

Nightmare was homeless. His dorm had caught on fire because someone else had set fire to theirs and it spread to his. It left several students without a place to stay. They had either asked to stay with other students, or had bought a new dorm to stay in, but because most of them didn't want to pay for housing, they chose to stay with other students. Nightmare didn't like this. He didn't want to waste his money on a new place when he already had one and he liked living alone. His room was clean, he didn't have to argue with anyone over the bathroom, he didn't have to hear anyone's complaints but his own, and he could focus on his work easily. It was perfect, in his opinion. So, it wasn't too much of a surprise when he declined his brother's generous offer to stay with him and his boyfriend. He would be lying if he said it was polite. ("I don't feel like hearing you fucking in the middle of the night. I'll find a place on my own.") Dream had taken no offense and wished his brother luck. That had lead up to him looking in various places, but the conditions and the messy rooms had all greatly impacted his choice. Almost every dorm was full, disgusting, or both, so he had to turn to the separate campuses on the edges of the premise. He took a taxi, and walked along the sidewalk, searching for a house that didn't look like absolute shit. Easier said than done.

(Don't worry, it's gonna continue)