? ???? ???? ??? 《 ZACH DEMPSEY + ALEX STANDALL 》

The past few weeks had been nothing short of chaotic for the boys. Alex Standall, the witty mage, versus Zach Dempsey, the brute fighter—it was a battle of wits and noise that left their dorm in a constant state of upheaval.

Zach, with his booming voice and larger-than-life presence, made sure Alex found no peace in their shared room. Meanwhile, Alex, the clever prankster, retaliated by turning Zach's minor inconveniences into full-blown annoyances.

For example, Alex once sprinkled itching powder inside Zach's shoes, while Zach responded by inviting his friends over to loiter in their room, leaving a mess—especially on Alex's side. 

Zach would belt out songs at the top of his lungs while Alex was studying, and Alex would eat cookies on Zach's bed, scattering crumbs everywhere. Surprisingly, no physical fights broke out—just a strange, positive chaos.

Despite the chaos, Alex couldn't shake this underlying irritation whenever Zach was around. Sometimes, Zach didn't even do anything—he'd just stand nearby or lean in a little too close, and Alex would clench his jaw, his face heating up as he fired back with sarcastic remarks. He hated how flustered Zach made him feel, especially since it was Zach of all people.

On the flip side, Zach found immense satisfaction in getting under Alex's skin. Sure, the pranks were fun, but what really thrilled him was seeing Alex get flustered over something as simple as standing too close. That look on Alex's face—red-cheeked and annoyed—was a victory Zach would gladly put in his personal hall of fame.

....

"Fuck, Zach. Don't you have to study or something?" Alex groaned, his eyebrows furrowed as he scribbled notes at his desk. He was glued to his chair, trying to focus on his upcoming midterm exams.

Zach, meanwhile, was lounging on his bed, tossing M&Ms into the air and catching them in his mouth. "I'll just wing it," he said, crunching on a chocolate before tossing another one up.

Alex sighed, tapping his pen against his notebook. "You know this is college, right? Not high school."

Zach paused, holding an M&M between his fingers as he smirked. "So you're just gonna assume my high school was all sunshine and rainbows, huh? Wow, Alex, way to stereotype the 'jock,'" he mocked before popping the candy into his mouth.

"Well, no. But didn't you tell Lambda Chi Alpha you were in sports?" Alex rolled his eyes, tapping his pen harder against the paper. Zach was making it impossible to focus.

"Okay, I lied about that one," Zach admitted with a shrug. "But believe it or not, I used to be an honor student. Perfect attendance, perfect grades, even valedictorian," he bragged, a hint of pride in his voice.

"It was at the end of high school that I realized I'd missed out on so much fun. So I spent the whole summer working out, decided to become a frat boy, and started partying all night. Basically, I've been trying to live the life I missed out on in high school," Zach finished, realizing he might've shared too much. But it was too late to take it back.

Alex swiveled his chair around to face Zach, his curiosity piqued despite himself. He couldn't quite picture Zach as a nerdy honor student. Yikes, more stereotyping, he thought, but he couldn't help wondering how much Zach had changed.

"Okay, so why aren't you at Stanford or some Ivy League school?" Alex asked.

"You think you can really let loose at those kinds of colleges?" Zach scoffed.

Alex bit his lip, his brow furrowing as he turned back to his desk. "You're jeopardizing your whole future over parties. That's kinda dumb," he muttered, scribbling in his notes.

"College is college. A diploma is a diploma. Besides, Berkeley isn't a bad school, and it's a music program—" Zach started.

"—which is clearly more important to me than it is to you," Alex cut him off without looking up.

Zach's mouth fell open, momentarily stunned. Alex had called him out before, but this time, it hit differently. For a moment, Zach saw a reflection of his old self in Alex—someone who followed the rules, sat still, and looked pretty. He started to doubt himself. Was all this really worth it?

"Uh..." Zach cleared his throat, shaking his head as he processed the thought. He stood up, grabbed his basketball from under the bed, and headed for the door.

Alex turned around, confused. "Where are you going?"

"Playing basketball," Zach said, slipping on his shoes.

"It's night," Alex pointed out.

"Which makes it the perfect time to play," Zach replied sarcastically.

"Just go focus onyour notes, music man," Zach shrugged, closing the door behind him and leavingAlex in peace