Falsettos College AU - Part 1 Chapter 1

This is chapter one of my Ao3 fanfic That's My Spot from my Falsettos College AU series. Have fun!

It was much colder that Whizzer had expected when he left his dorm for a bit of quiet. The tears in his eyes immediately cooled down due to the chilly late night breeze.Mendel was going crazy over studying. Even more than usual. Now that he thought about it, he was also more anxious than he was normally.Whatever was going on with his neurotic roommate, the last thing Whizzer could use in his state of mind was a psychology major having panic attacks and ignoring the same mental health advice he gave anyone else on a regular basis.

Another breeze whistled past the tall student. Trying to suppress a shudder, he zipped up his too thin, but really fashionable windbreaker, and crossed his arms to keep his body heat.

"Honey, you shouldn't put the way you look above feeling warm and cozy." If his mom loved him so much, why had she shown everything to his dad?

Whizzer put in his earbuds and walked to his usual spot near his dorm, already lighting his first cigarette. Sure, he would try quitting at some point, but tonight was not the night. If it wasn't past 12 am, he would have considered going to a bar or club and maybe get some guy to order him a drink... maybe two or three. He dropped his cigarette and stepped it out. He pulled his windbreaker closer around his body as he shivered once again. Goddammit, the jacket didn't even look nearly as good zipped up. The only thing he wanted to do was not think, quiet his mind, have everything disappear for a minute or two. Before he knew it, he had reached his late night sitting spot.

Barely sat down, he lit his next cigarette and exhaled in shame of his failed resolution. Even the music playing in his headphones couldn't quiet those thoughts.The disappointment and hatred in their voices. The disgust in his father's voice.He put the cigarette to his lips again and inhaled the nicotine to maybe feel a bit less tense and on edge. God, why had he not gotten rid of everything before he left for university?He knew it was because he had been too busy packing all of his photography gear and his best shirts and jackets, like the uselessly fashionable windbreaker he was shivering in now.

"Smoking isn't good for you. Just look at your father", his mother would say.

"Well, that seems to be a me problem and not a you problem, mom", Whizzer muttered under his breath.

Whizzer had barely managed to catch his bus, since carrying all of his bags had been more exhausting and strenuous than anticipated. If he'd gotten his driver's license while he still could, it would have been fine. He could have taken those five minutes to check. But no, it was done now. Nothing to change. His mom had found his magazines. Really cliche, he was aware of that.

"What am I supposed to tell my friends? That my son is a -" Stop. Thinking. About. Them.

God, his father had sounded so... Okay, we're done thinking about this. We're not going to cry, Whizzer Brown. He gasped, swallowing a sob and took another hit from his cigarette. You don't need them. If they don't want you, they're missing out. Everything will be alright.

"You're in my spot." The voice came out of nowhere and scared Whizzer out of his train of thought.

Whizzer's gaze shot up to find a guy standing right in front of him. He'd seen him on campus a few times already. The yet to be named guy was wearing a red hoodie Whizzer had seen him wear a few times already.

"You're in my spot", the figure repeated himself, now with an exasperated, annoyed tone.

"Didn't know you could rent this spot", Whizzer quipped, sincerely hoping that his tone wasn't wavering nearly as much as it did.

Could you tell he'd been crying? He hoped to whatever higher power that it was too dark.

"I've been sitting down here every single night for the past week since the semester started, so I think it's fair to call this my spot." Asshole. Oh, how Whizzer loved setting a dickhead straight. On top of that Whizzer was appreciating the chance to distract himself.

"I've been sitting here for the past hour and this spot was obviously taken when you got here, so I think it's fair to call this my spot." Whizzer gave his best shit eating grin that, he hoped, dared the asshole to say anything else mean to Whizzer.

"Listen, I'm really not feeling up to having some sort of verbal sparring or whatever. I've been having a hard as fuck time recently and excuse me if I want to have some fucking peace and quiet in the spot that no one has sat in at this time of day until to-fucking-day." Jesus, what was this guy's problem? Whizzer could tell, despite Hoodie's speech, that he was getting ready for an actual physical fight. A good punch to the face might get this guy off his high horse or help Whizzer get his mind off shit. No matter how appealing that sounded, he didn't do what this guy clearly expected him to do.

Instead....

"Sit down, Hoodie", Whizzer patted the spot next to himself. That seemed to give Hoodie pause. His brows furrowed in clear confusion.

"Come on. Don't make me regret this", he insisted.

Whizzer did his best to give the guy an encouraging look that wasn't exasperated or too vulnerable. Hoodie crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. With a sigh No Name moved to sit down next to Whizzer. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Neither one of them tried to make eye , but instead looked up at the night sky.

"So what exactly made your day so shitty?" Whizzer asked, breaking the silence while still not looking at Hoodie. Then he took another drag from his cigarette.

"It was not just today and it's not just one thing. Not like you'd need to know. I don't know you, you dont know me. I don't even know your name.

"I don't know yours either", Whizzer retorted. "What is your name?"

"Marvin. I'm Marvin." The guy said, turning to face Whizzer.

"Hi, Marvin. I'm Whizzer." The taller boy reached out to shake his hand. Marvin took it.

"Hi, Whizzer." What's that? A smile? No, that guy seemed like an asshole. It was only then that Whizzer realized, he himself was smiling.

"So, Whizzer... Mind giving me a cigarette?" Hoodie- Marvin raised his eyebrows in question. Still a slight smirk on his lips.

"Sure, Marvin... Here you are." Whizzer reached into his paper thin windbreaker jacket to take out his box of cigarettes.

He placed one between his lips and held out the second for Marvin to take and lit both of their cigarettes with a lighter he kept with his cigarettes. Taking out the cigarettes made him realize even more how thin and unproductive the piece of clothing was against the unexpectedly cold September night.

"This is the point where you thank me."

"Thanks, Whiz." Maybe Whizzer should just mentally nickname him 'Asshole'. It would fit his voice dripping with sarcasm very well.

"Oh, a patronizing nickname. Very creative. You're welcome, by the way." A cold gust of wind came out of nowhere. Whizzer shivered before he could help himself.

"You okay?" Marvin's question was purely out of reflex, if Whizzer was reading his mildly disinterested tone correctly.

"Yeah. I'm fine", Whizzer said. They sat in silence, smoking and looking at the night sky.

Whizzer started getting up. "Well, Marvin, it was nice meeting y-"

"What's your major?" The question stunned Whizzer.Small talk was the last thing he'd have expected from someone like Marvin. Still, he was intrigued by Marvin's apparent interest.

"Photography. Yours?"

"Finance. It's mostly about money, really." He didn't sound too ecstatic about it.

"Well, that sounds like it's boring."

"And photography sounds like it's-"

"Interesting?" Whizzer winked at Marvin.

"Not secure or stable."

"Not like finance is, either. With all the stocks rising and falling and tax brackets."

"You almost sounded like you had a clue there." Marvin laughed.

"I'm already handsome. You cant have it all", Whizzer quipped.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Marvin looked at Whizzer in a way that confused him.

The shorter of the two looked conflicted, like he was considering doing something uncomfortable.

But he didn't say anything. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

That gave Whizzer an opportunity to really look at this man. While not traditionally handsome and not necessarily the type he'd usually go for, the man was undeniably good looking. Despite his worries expression, him not saying anything definitely made him more attractive. People are usually more attractive if they aren't complete assholes. Whizzer would have started iring this Marvin's eyes, because they would make for a great photograph during golden hour. But then another gust of wind came along to make him shiver. That also seemed to pull Marvin out of his thinkers trance.

"Are you sure you're not cold?", Marvin asked.

"Yes, I told you. I'm fine. I'm not cold", Whizzer lied.

"Alright." Marvin nodded.

"I guess I should go. Leave you some time alone in 'your spot', Marvin." Whizzer began to get up.

"How far is your dorm?" Okay, weird question.

"About fifteen minutes from here. Well... that's what Google says. Gays walk faster though." Whizzer pointed in the rough direction of where his dorm was.

"Is that actually true?" His voice indicated that he took Whizzers joke a little too seriously.

"It is for me. And it's true for my best friend", Whizzer joked. "So I'm gonna go. See you around."

Marvin nodded as a means of saying goodbye. As Whizzer turned to leave he was hit in the back with something soft. He went to pick that something up.... it was the red hoodie.

"I want it back tomorrow. Meet me here at nine." Marvin said, before putting in his earbuds, signaling the end of this conversation.

Reluctantly Whizzer put on the hoodie. ittedly, he immediately felt warmer. Besides the warmth he was wrapped in the scent of drugstore cologne.What an asshole this Marvin guy was. After giving him back this hoodie they won't have to talk ever again. Couldn't be happier about that.