Eventually, Quinn drifted to sleep.
When he woke, it was to the violent BANG, BANG, BANG of something, or someone, trying to smash through the wall.
His eyes snapped open, disoriented.
And there it was.
Sebastian's muscular, tattooed back. His curls brushing his shoulders. The morning light catching on his skin.
And the devil himself was practically slamming a hammer into a small metal box that had no business being assaulted like this.
Quinn blinked hard, the scene making no sense.
Then rage rushed in.
He grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it at Sebastian's head.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Sebastian turned around, startled, only to get hit with another pillow Quinn had already launched.
"The box is jammed," he said flatly.
Quinn stared at him, disgusted and impressed against his will.
Sebastian looked like he'd already lived a full day before sunrise. He was shirtless, smelling of fruit smoothie, his skin damp from a shower, his tattoos flexing every time he moved.
Of course he had the energy to break a box at 7 a.m.
"Give me that," Quinn muttered, dragging his feet over.
He tried to snatch the hammer from Sebastian, but Sebastian simply lifted his arm out of reach, easily, and grinned down at him with that infuriating, devilish smile.
"You're in your troll mood, Fairy."
Quinn's jaw ticked. Hard. He dropped his hand, glared, and with pure pettiness, kicked the metal box across the room so hard it slammed into the wall with a loud CLANG.
He recognized it. Sebastian's precious trophy box. He didn't give a single shit.
He turned and dragged himself to the dorm kitchen, shoving the coffee machine into action like it had personally offended him.
Behind him, he heard Sebastian under his breath.
"Bitch." Then, "Oh! It's open."
Quinn ignored it. He didn't react to anything until the caffeine hit him and he returned to the room, coffee clutched like a life-saving IV drip.
Only to see Sebastian sitting on the bed, a trophy safe and intact in his grip and taking pictures.
Of himself. With the trophy. And his bare chest. Flexing subtly like he didn't know he was flexing, lighting perfect on those tattoos, curls messy enough to look effortless, all while posting on his socials like he hadn't spent the previous night emotionally dismantling Quinn's entire existence.
Quinn shot him a disdainful look. Of course he did.
Sebastian was Sebastian. Adored by their generation and the ones after, a walking poster boy with a badass modeling career that made people lose their minds.
Quinn, meanwhile, barely used social media. He had a secret account, a few followers, blurry photos of sunsets and cats.
The only times he ever appeared online was when he got caught in the party pictures with Sebastian in high school.
Sebastian's dark eyes lifted and locked onto him mid-selfie. "What?"
Quinn rolled his eyes so hard it hurt and ignored him, grabbing his phone.
6:30 a.m.
His jaw tightened.
He glared at Sebastian, who was still taking pictures, and let out a long, heavy exhale to keep from committing murder. It didn't work. He snatched the trophy right out of Sebastian's hand and slapped it against his chest with enough force to make Seb grunt.
Childish? Yes.
Therapeutic? Absolutely.
He dropped back on his bed and checked his notifications.
A text from Hunter.
[Hunter: Do you want to come to a beach party after the test drive?]
Quinn blinked.
[Quinn: why?]
He didn't want to do parties anymore. Not after the Niko disaster.
Another message popped up instantly.
[Hunter: because it's fun. The others are coming too. I sent everyone the invite. Plus it's like a celebration party for us. We're participating in Nationals after all. Let's let loose before the war comes. *laughing emoji* *eggplant emoji*]
Quinn snorted, pressing his lips together to keep from smiling.
He glanced up and nearly choked. Sebastian had loosened his towel and was about to take it off.
Quinn spun around so fast he almost fell off the bed. His face was hot, breathing uneven.
He forced himself to focus on his phone.
Another message from Hunter.
[Hunter: Come onnnnn, we can go to a gay club after.]
That did it.
[Quinn: I'm in.]
He needed to get laid.
And get over his stupid crush completely.
"Who are you texting with a smile on your face?" Sebastian asked suddenly.
Quinn shot him a flat look. At least he was wearing pants now. Small mercies.
"Leave me alone." Quinn stood, shoving his phone into his pocket.
Sebastian tilted his head, studying him. "Are you seriously bummed out about Niko? There are other fish in the sea."
Something about the casual curiosity in his voice made Quinn's stomach twist.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Quinn snapped. "I really don't want to see your face right now."
He didn't wait for an answer. He walked straight into the bathroom, shut the door, and pressed his back against it, chest heaving.
"Other fish in the sea," he muttered bitterly.
He pushed off the door and dragged himself toward the mirror. His reflection looked as wrecked as he felt. His bed hair sticking out like a bird's nest, eyes tired, mouth tight.
"Get over him, Quinn," he told himself quietly. "He's not worth it. You're gorgeous. And he doesn't deserve you."
The words felt rehearsed, but he forced a smile anyway, inhaling deeply.
"I can do this."
He reached for the hem of his shirt...
The door suddenly swung open.
"Hey, fairy?"
Quinn let out a sharp yelp, scrambling to yank his shirt back down, face instantly burning. "What the hell... don't you know how to knock?!"
Sebastian stood there, fully dressed now, one hand on the doorframe. His charcoal-gray eyes dragged slowly over Quinn — not rushed, not apologetic — before lifting back to his face.
The look sent a shiver straight down Quinn's spine.
"Are you going to cook?" Sebastian asked calmly.
Quinn's eye twitched.
He scoffed. "Get out."
Sebastian blinked. "So… that's a yes, right?"
Quinn groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. "Just... go away. Let me shower first. And brush my teeth."
A grin tugged at Sebastian's mouth. "K."
He stepped back and closed the door behind him.
Quinn stared at it for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.
"What a pampered asshole."