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Realistic or Modern 𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 —

Characters
Here



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    gettin a lil sus with the homies
















The entire time, the bonfire had been filled with sounds of drunken laughter, loud cheering every time someone failed, or succeeded in, whatever they were dared to do. Even while asleep, Chandler was aware of the noise; rolled his eyes whenever Gavin nudged him awake and he was met with a blast of sound. But not this time.

To say that the silence was deafening would be an understatement.

Having expected to hear a wall of sound when he awoke, to only hear the sounds of crickets chirping in the background sent a chill down his spine. What the hell was going on? Did they all get dared to keep silent? Glancing around sleepily, he saw that everyone’s eyes were on him. What was that about? If they were dared to keep silent, surely he wouldn’t be the object of attention. He was about to ask whether or not everyone was off their rocker when he heard it.

”Morning princess, they're daring me to kiss you. You in?”

And now it was Chan’s turn to sit in silence and stare. Because. . . what? There was no way he heard that right. There had to be a misunderstanding somewhere. But as the seconds of silence stretched on with no one shouting “April fools” in the background, it seemed as if he did, in fact, hear correctly. Fucking hell. He was already cursing this retreat to hell and back since he got sick but now at the prospect of kissing, he was ready to reign terror down upon it all.

Truth was that no, he was not “in”. No way in hell was he “in” to kiss his “sworn enemy”. But he knew that everyone here was expecting that answer, was expecting him to back out and refuse and then take the opportunity to swoop down and ridicule him for refusal. So there were two options here. One, he could do like everyone was expecting him to and refuse and face the consequences. Or two, he could actually go through with it and shock the world.

He knew which option he was going to go with.

Swallowing his pride, Chandler began to stand up, ignoring the look of shock on Gavin’s (and probably everyone else’s) face. Before he could get to his feet, he was held back by Felix. ”Might want to check your sweatshirt for any rips and tears before you get over there” he whispered. ”I was watching him and with how tight he was gripping it when you were dancing, especially on Kaden, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few.” Then Chan was released and shoved forward with a “go get ‘em tiger” as the parting words of encouragement.

He took a second to glance down and check for said rips and tears, though knew there wouldn’t be any. Felix didn’t explicitly say it, but Chan took that little speech to mean “you have the advantage here” and not whatever stupid sweatshirt metaphor Thing 2 came up with. Advantage or not, he was still nervous as hell.

Now finally on his feet, he took a second to steady himself and then started walking over to where James was sitting, eyes blazing with surprising determination. Did he want to kiss James? Not really, but he didn’t want to be deemed a coward for not going through with it. Then again, he’d probably be teased for going through with it. But he also was 99% sure he had a fever, so he could blame the entire thing on it, claiming it was his feverish mind that decided to do it and he would never have gone through with it had he not had a fever.

That thought process carried him all the way over to where James was. When Chandler finally brought himself out of his internal monologue, he was surprised to find himself standing in front of the other. Keyword being standing. He had half a mind to drag James onto his feet but there was a big issue in that he didn’t think he was strong enough to do so, so that left doing this whole thing while sitting, or straddling. But if whatever Felix said was true, he didn’t think James would mind kissing with Chan in his lap.

After taking a second to survey his soon to be kissing partner, Chandler dropped to his knees for the second time that evening. Whereas with Kaden he was practically sitting in his lap, this time there were a few inches between him and James' lap, though he could definitely be described as straddling the other. And, well…. time to get this show on the road.

Without any warning, he gripped James’ face between his palms and leaned in, sealing their lips together.

He expected this to be like any other dare; kiss for however long they needed to and then part ways as if nothing happened. What he didn’t expect was for his heart to start racing, practically beat out of his chest the moment their lips touched. And if he was incredibly grateful for the sweatshirt he was wearing to help block out the sound of his heart, help prevent James from feeling it should he touch Chan’s chest, well, no one had to know.

Going into it all assuming he’d hate every second, he was mildly surprised that he didn’t, was mildly surprised at how he deepened the kiss, how his hands slid from cradling James cheeks to being woven into his hair. No, time didn’t stop when their lips met but he sure as hell felt weak all over (though the fever could be blamed for that), sure as hell felt his heart race faster every second their lips moved against one another’s. And he sure as hell wasn’t aware of how his eyes had slipped shut.

Not to be cliche here, but he sure as hell felt the way his whole body tingled as lips continued to slide against each other, neither seeming to have the upper hand right now and both being okay with it. Though he felt the tingles, he didn’t feel the way his body had subconsciously pressed closer to James, the way his hands had left the others hair and had locked together behind his neck.

Before, Chandler was well aware of everyone’s eyes on him. But now? Now it was as if it was just the two of them, as if the rest of the dancers and volleyball players had faded from existence and were completely unaware of what was unfolding in front of them.

Deciding that now was as good of a moment as ever to pause and breathe, Chan pulled away. ”Yeah, guess I’m in.” he murmured before leaning forward and resuming where they left off.































muli



ace banzuelo










♡coded by uxie♡
 



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    i kissed chandler wu and i... liked it?
    *not clickbait*
















There came a point where James didn't think Chandler was going to do it. Where either sleep, his shivering, or cowardice would get the better of the prideful twat and he'd refuse. James would be able to play it off and the rest of the team would stop and call it a day. There would be no need for him to be internally sweating in his seat and the retreat would be over before he knew it, with this entire kiss dare forgotten as fast as it was suggested. However, it didn't go the way he thought it would. Quite the opposite. All because Chandler was actually game. Except he wasn't entirely prepared for it.

He sure didn't expect anything from this especially when the silence and anticipation of it all was filled with Ethan's snickers and Sam's huffs of disinterest. Percy created the dare to make fun, to get James all flustered to lighten him up in some way. It was also to teach him a lesson.

If James possessed an Achilles' heel, his pride would be his downfall. It made him maybe a bit overconfident and just a smidge smug when it came to challenges and hurdles. It didn't faze him when Chandler walked toward him—a walk of shame or perhaps a final flip of the finger before he goes marching towards their cabin. He knew very well that Chandler had been enjoying the festivities as much as him and that even the idea of kissing him would put him over the edge to storm off. In the words of his insufferable roommate back home, it was just simple statistics. And although math of any kind wasn't James' area of expertise, he understood enough. So why break a sweat when he knew very well that the likelihood of Chandler committing to the dare was at an all-time low?

Except all-time low didn't mean impossible as the dance leader proved when instead of flipping him off and leaving, he chose to recreate the position he was in with Karlson(?) moments ago. In a way, James had asked for this, testing his luck in this horrible game of chicken. That's what this was, right? All a big challenge to see who would fold first?
"What? You wanna give another—"
If the sudden grip of hands didn't shut him up, the contact of his lips against another's did. He had been too focused on playing himself up to have had notice the other's prerequisites that would've warned him about the dance leader's bold move. That's what it was. Bold. The possibility he did not think would even be considered. Don't get him wrong, practically everyone on campus wants to get a piece of Pangan, but a main outlier to that university truth had always been Chandler. Before now, James always thought that Elev8's dance leader would probably feel more pleasure snogging a footballer's sweaty pair of socks than him.

Perhaps that was still accurate, and it was causing emotional pain for Chandler to be committing to the dare. James liked to think that. But maybe because it made him feel better when his eyes fell shut and he found himself willingly moving his lips against Wu's.

If someone had told James a day ago that he would be kissing Chandler Wu as a result from the retreat, he would've broken into a laughing fit. And if they added that he was enjoying it, James probably would've fallen to the floor as he had his fit too.

On the off chances James looks back at this, he's blaming Percy and a possible concussion.

It was reflex for him to place his hands around Chandler's waist, loosely gripping on like he would a partner. His cheeks were probably blazing right now like how they always get and his teammates were most likely gawking and wolf-whistling but in this moment, James couldn't find it in him to care. For once they weren't at each other's neck yet had their hands in other areas. There was a heat in the kiss, but it wasn't violent nor another fight for the last laugh, it was tender—at least on James' side. At this point of time, he didn't see Chandler as the annoying little brat sent on this earth to mess with him. It was just a sweet kiss by the firepit, reminiscent of summer camp with the same element of truth or dare and foolery.

James had always been on the affectionate side of the spectrum from his relationship track history. And how he acted during makeouts were no different. To a teammate of his, they would think that James had completely forgotten who he was exchanging spit with. On the contrary, he was well aware. His mind was buzzing, whatever shit main characters in romcom movies feel—the mixture of contentment and confusion perfectly encapsulated everything he felt. Kissing Chandler Wu was... nice. And he had no idea what to do with that information than continue.

And continue he did up until Chandler pulled away—then the little bubble they created popped. In his peripherals, he saw the looks that were glued onto the two, the murmurs, and most especially the fist bump dumb and dumber gave each other. He scoffed. They were never going to let this go and he knew it. Suddenly, he hated this again and he wanted to throw his tantrum.

"Yeah, guess I’m in.”

Alright, maybe hate was a strong word.

He didn't say a word in response, he wasn't given time to. Instead he hummed into it, continuing as if they hadn't stopped to breath. In his defense to the change of heart towards the dare (although he'll never admit it) he didn't know Chandler would be an above-decent kisser. It didn't change the fact that he was an asshole.

It wasn't surprising that the two lost track of time. James had no idea how long they were going for—almost as if being the one to stop meant losing. But the intrusive image of everyone still looking at them made up James' mind pretty quick. Did the audience make him just a teensy bit uncomfortable? Yes. Was the possible implications of his team's belief that he likes smooching Chandler Wu the worst thing in the world? Also yes. If it wasn't clear enough, his pride was paired with stubbornness.

So this time, he was the one who pulled away. He mentally reminded himself to give his best grin when the other's eyes met his face, and to not fall for how... interesting Chandler looked after their kissing session. His pearly whites outshine the patches of red on his cheeks any day.
"Alright, alright, let's stop while we're ahead of ourselves, I don't want you biting off my face."
If it weren't for the heat he felt from what he assumed was Chandler's after-effects of the cold river, James wouldn't have realized his hands were still on him. Instead of concern, he decided to tease. The hugs and kisses were over—it was back to getting the last laugh.
"Are you still cold after that? I sure hope this made up for earlier."
Even outside the realm of their kiss, it was still as if they were in a world of their own. An awful little world, population of two.

































alrighty
aphrodite



peach pit










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    i've got the power
















Kissing time was over. Was complete, had ended, would resume no more. So why couldn’t Chandler open his eyes? He didn’t even realized they’d slipped shut in the first place, but why couldn’t he open them? Open them, dammit. This was embarrassing.

When they finally opened, the first thing he saw was the overly-large grin on his kissing partners face, causing him to lean backwards slightly in brief alarm. Why was James grinning like that? Was something funny? Then he heard what was said and all of the alarm and confusion vanished to be replaced by annoyance. “Biting your face off?” he asked incredulously. “Please, if I wanted to bite it off, I would’ve already chewed it up and spat it out on the ground.”

A little harsh, but whatever little truce they had during the kiss had since vanished. Chan licked his lips and chewed on his tongue piercing while trying to figure out what to do next. Should he just go back to where he was previously sitting next to Gavin and have the game resume as if this never happened? Or say fuck it all and go back to the cabin? Decisions, decisions.

But then the decision was pretty much made for him.

“Are you still cold after that? I hope this made up for earlier.”

His eyes narrowed, fury swimming in their depths. But as soon as it appeared, he blinked and it seemed to vanish. Oh yes, he was still furious, but wasn’t outwardly displaying it. “After what, that kiss?” The question was followed by a humorless laugh. “Yeah, no. I’m still freezing.” Lie. Though the searing heat he felt when the kiss first started was still somewhat present, he was beginning to feel cold again, so decided to play that up. “Did you really think that would warm me up?”

The answer was yes, kind of, but the way he said it made it seem as though it was an obvious no. Then he remembered there was more to what was said. “And by earlier, do you mean when you pushed me into the lake for no fucking reason?” Chandler wondered, tilting his head in mock confusion. “Because if so, no it didn’t. A minute long kiss that was done for a dare is certainly not enough to make up for the fact that you pushed me into the lake and now I feel terrible and am quickly coming down with a fever. If I miss the competition in Paris because of this, it’s all your fault.”

Then he tried to stand up but was held back by James’s hands still on him. “You can let go now, or are you already so attached to me that you can’t bear the thought of it?” Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the hands off of him and dropped them none to gently. Finally standing, he turned his back to James (and if he had to exercise all of his self-restraint not to kick him, well) and walked back over to where the dancers were sitting.

It took a lot to do so, but he managed to ignore the proud grins on Kaden’s and Adrianna’s faces, Felix’s smug look, Gavin’s shocked one, Willow telling some joke to the guy next to her and Hugo still being on his damn phone. “I’m going to bed,” Chan announced. “Kaden,” he turned to the VP, “you’re in charge of making sure everyone gets to bed within the hour. We have practice at 9 tomorrow morning in the parking lot. Not there? No Paris.” Pretending he didn’t see the VP’s drunken salute, he left the bonfire and headed back towards his cabin.

And damn it was dark out. Was it this dark at the bonfire? Trying to swallow down the fear that started to rise, Chan pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight. It helped a bit, but not much. While he could somewhat see the path ahead of him, it didn’t change the fact that it was still dark as hell around him. If he wrapped his free arm around himself and sped up, no one had to know.

Thankfully he made it to his cabin without getting lost and without anything bad happening to him. After all the lights were turned on, his clothes came off and it was back into the shower because he smelled like a bonfire and hated going to sleep smelling like fire. He didn’t stay in there as long as he would’ve liked to warm up because he could feel the fever really coming on and wanted to get in bed.

Rummaging through his stuff, Chandler cursed when he discovered all of his sweatpants were dirty. Well, guess he’s going to have to be cold. Grumbling to himself, he pulled on a clean pair of shorts and long sleeve shirt before brushing his teeth, finally climbing into bed, curling into a ball to stay warm and closing his eyes.

All he could do was hope that James was quiet whenever he came back.

( since gdrive doesn't work and the song is only on soundcloud go, i'm putting the link here































xx



xx










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    groveling hours
















“Did you really think that would warm me up?”

Yeah. Whatever remained of their kissing bubble has long evaporated thanks to the burning glare directed at James. The smile on his face faltered at the onslaught and the red in his cheeks began to express his own anger if the slight furrow of his brows didn't do enough for him.
"You started it!"
He ignored how childish the words felt on his tongue.
"All is fair in this hellscape, Wu, you of all people should know that. I can't be held responsible for your wittle fever if you were the one who drove me to push you in the first place."


The smugness James had from his defense was easily shattered by one statement. Right, his hands still rested on the other's waist—the heat he felt on his fingertips from Chandler's fever should have reminded him.
"I—"
His hands were pulled away before he could weave together an excuse. Was he really off his a-game? How the mighty fall. Or at least stumble.
"Maybe I'm just your personal parasite."
The response got him school-boy giggles from Ethan.

And then they were done. Their little moment of attention towards each other that wasn't entirely drawn from hatred was over. They were back to their regularly scheduled program. And Chandler left back towards their cabin.

Their.

Even after an intimate dare, James wasn't given the luxury of spending a night away from Chandler. In a situation where he wasn't forced to room with the dance captain, James would have opted to be in his humble abode, screaming about what happened to Zach before screaming into a pillow. It seemed only fitting considering the fact that if James isn't suffering from a concussion, he should probably acknowledge one thing. A possible fact that may destroy the foundations of his very person. That he may have enjoyed kissing Chandler. If guardian angels were real, James' would really appreciate his if they could make sure Chandler would be asleep when he got back to the cabin, and that he slept heavy enough to not wake up to James slamming his head against a wall.

When he looked to where his teammates sat, it was no surprise to him at this point that instead of comfort, he found amusement. He wanted to swat the open arms of Ethan as the grinning athlete came walking over for a hug, so he did. It only fueled Ethan further and the next thing James knew, Ethan had him in a soul crushing bear hug. "How are you feeling, loverboy?" It was only when he let his captain go from his deathgrip, James was able to respond.

"Shut up."


"You seemed to enjoy the dare though. Maybe instead of punching Perce till he looks like a thumb, you should thank him."

"Shut up. I'm not thanking him for shit."
He groaned while Ethan continued to smile at him, eyes twinkling with a fondness for the situation. Ethan Amadi was a hopeless romantic at heart.
"Percy probably thinks he's hilarious for doing this."
Both the hyena laughter and Ethan's nod confirmed it.

The rest of the team had their eyes glued on James—well, all aside from Thomas, who continued to vocally complain about cellphone service and Sam, who seemed to be smiling at the girl he had been sitting next to. If it weren't for the sound of Conrad slapping Percy's back from the twerp choking on his spit from laughing too much, he'd be trying to shift attention to whatever was happening with their team's angsty teenager. "I take it, kiss and make up didn't work, cap?" As if noticing that James was about to make a comment about his emo best friend, Conrad spoke up, shifting his attention back to everyone's amused faces. Why was Albert entertained by this? He's usually on his side. They were never going to let him live this down.

Deciding not to waste his time trying to deal with his teammate's teasing for any longer, James was ready to leave.
"I'm done. Be at the basketball court by eight-thirty or I'm making you guys run laps. All of you. No excuses."
That was one way to turn their smiles into frowns.

"Let's hope that Wu doesn't keep you up all night then, captain."

"Percy, you're running laps tomorrow regardless."


He started walking away from the firepit, Percy's complaints acting as music to his ears. The walk back was as eventless as he thought it would be. Though a part of him did wish that he would've been mauled by a bear or shanked by forest serial killer before he could make it back to the cabin. The plans for his day tomorrow sounded bad enough, with both training with his team and "team-building activities" with the Elev8. Yet tonight was also something he had to continue to dread. If Chandler was asleep then lucky him! James could just forget everything that happened tonight and move on with his temporary life in the middle of nowhere. But if he was still awake, James was fucked.

As much as James would deny it, he enjoyed kissing Chandler. He didn't know what to do with that information and it was slowly setting his mind ablaze. Hating Chandler Wu was a pillar of his person. He wasn't suppose to like anything about him. And yet here he was, standing outside of his own cabin, feeling too nervous to twist open the doorknob as if he was a kid visiting his school crush's home.
"This is so stupid."
And it was. It was incredibly stupid. It was so stupid that he finally opened the door, almost sighing in relief when he saw the balled-up dance captain asleep.

Although James enjoyed tourmenting a rival as much as the next guy, he chose to shut the door silently and made it a point to be quiet while he rummaged for pajamas for a quick shower. Both a sick Chandler and an emotionally confused James would agree that Chandler should stay asleep to save James from having a screaming match at midnight. And so James did stay silent. He took his shower, got changed, and did all his nightly rituals as quietly as possibly. Everything had been going smoothly.

Until it wasn't.

It was one mistake. Just one. And yet it was enough for James to crave the sweet taste of death. Perhaps the initial creaks and squeaks he heard from his bedframe earlier that day should have been a warning that throwing himself against it would be enough to break it. And maybe James shouldn't have even thought about throwing himself onto the bed to begin with. Yet here he was. Laying down on a mattress. A mattress that now has a hole from a piece of wood from the bedframe being stabbed into it. Even when James tried to deal with it and just take it out of the mattress, it only made things worse with springs starting to sprout out in its place. It was futile. It was pointless.

There was only one way to get a comfortable night's sleep.

If Chandler wasn't already awake by the sound of James and his bedframe falling onto the hardwood ground, he should be awake by James' light taps (it was starting to become a little concerning to him as even the small contact was enough to feel the fever on the other). When the dance captain finally gives to meet his eyes, James feels even more embarrassed when he says,
"My bed... kinda broke. And the mattress. And I think the floor will give me splinters..."
Swallowing whatever pride he had left, he bit the bullet.
"Do you think we can share?"

































its all futile!
its all pointless!



lovejoy










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    i'm not crying you are
















Falling asleep took longer Chandler way longer than he would’ve liked it to have. That could have been because of the chattering of his teeth, or because his whole body hurt so badly that the pain was all his mind could focus on for a while. But then he finally fell asleep and all was good.

As they say, all good things must come to an end. And his came to an end far too soon.

Still asleep, he didn’t hear James come into their cabin, didn’t hear him look around for the change of clothes, and didn’t hear him shower and do whatever he was doing in the bathroom. But he sure as hell heard the thump of a body on the mattress, sure as hell heard the unmistakable sound of wood snapping and then rubbing against metal. Great. Just what they needed at this time of night.

Chan could’ve cried. Did cry actually. The sudden, searing wetness on his cheeks was definitely tears. Why was he crying? Well, because he was frustrated. He definitely had a fever, he was freezing and he was just woken up from fifteen minutes maximum of sleep. He deserved to cry. But he didn’t want James to see the tears, so he kept his back to him the entire time and bit his lip to keep any sounds that threatened to escape in.

Had he not had a fever, not felt like absolute shit, the sudden tap on his shoulder would’ve sent him flying out of his bed like a bat fresh out of hell. But because he had a fever, because he felt like absolute shit, he barely reacted to it. In fact, he remained so still that one might have thought he was dead. He kept this pose up as James explained what happened to his bed, something he could’ve figured out on his own given the sounds. Then he finally caved and turned his head, opening his eyes as he did so.

“Do you think we can share?”

A Chandler that wasn’t sick would’ve shouted “hell no” the second the words left James’ lips, telling the other to suck it up and sleep on the floor. This sick Chandler considered saying that but figured it would somehow turn into a fight and he could not handle that right now. Right now all he needed was to sleep and if getting to sleep faster meant sharing his bed with James, so be it.

Against his better judgment, Chan nodded and started to move over so James could climb in. “Please just. . .” he paused, the thickness of his voice giving away the fact that he’d been crying. “Just try to be quiet. I really can’t deal with anymore noise and. . . yeah.” he pleaded, knowing he sounded desperate but was uncaring at this point. He felt terrible and needed to get rid of this fever.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get very far in his moving over since this bed was made for one person, not two, and hit the edge quickly. Part of him considered not moving at all but James was bigger than him and it would be even more uncomfortable for the both of them if he stayed where he was previously. At least moving over meant he could sleep without being on top of the other. With that thought in mind, Chandler hugged his pillow and shut his eyes, trying his best to resume his sleep.































make me (cry)



noah cyrus










♡coded by uxie♡
 



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    p a n i c .
















James expected to be pulled through the ringer. To be sent to the nine circles of hell and back. To be forced to dance like a monkey at a train station for the entertainment of passersby. James expected to grovel on his knees in order for Chandler to even entertain the idea of sharing. However, that wasn't the case. And usually, that would imply something good for the volleyball captain but the turn of events seemed to somehow be worse.

There was no challenge in the other's tone, no hint of argumentation. Instead, he heard vulnerability, exhaustion, and maybe even... remnants of tears? How bad was this fever to the point it had *the* Chandler Wu in tears? Suddenly the ramble of defense he had in his head died before they could grace his lips.

Against popular belief, James held compassion. Despite the hatred he nursed for Chandler, even he didn't have it in him to smile at the more than apparent pain. The display honestly made him want to apologize. If it weren't for James' stupid little revenge tactic, Chandler would have probably stayed his grumpy self—and that trumps sad and sick any day. It was like watching a rescued kitten shiver from the cold(he refuses to admit he made such a comparison). So when Chandler begged quietness instead of challenging the request, James nodded before whispering,
"Got it... thanks."
The sincerity outweighed the smidge of nervousness he felt.

Suddenly the process of laying down on a bed was just as challenging as walking on glass. He made it a point to be more careful with how he got onto the bed the second time around. Even if Chandler wasn't on his A-game, James knew a switch could flip and he'd be a dead man in a matter of seconds. In reality, he had probably gotten in bed with Chandler rather quickly, it was the mental point-of-view that made it feel so long.

His mind was racing. It wasn't like James had never shared a bed with someone—even beyond the people he had dated, he has had a fair share of experience. Whenever his team was out of the country for tournaments and the budget couldn't afford hotel rooms for all his members, sharing beds wasn't an uncommon practice. Yet like almost everything with Chandler, even in a familiar situation, it felt new. Previously it was the annoying kind of new but now it was the scary kind of new. The "running thoughts and nerves flooding his brain" kind of new.

For what felt like hours but in reality was really just a couple of seconds, James settled down on Chandler's bed. Then it became clear that fitting two university athletes on a single-sized mattress could be used as an introspection of how sardines feel in a can. Except canned sardines were blessed by being dead and one of the athletes seems to be on the brink of it. Laying next to Chandler felt like sleeping next to an oven. From the contact of James' shoulder and Chandler's back the volleyball captain wouldn't be needing a blanket.

It was... worrying. James has had his fair share of fevers and sickness; Zach would always make such a fuss whenever he became bedridden. But never did he ever suffer a fever in the middle of nowhere. In a rundown retreat camp, sharing both a cabin and a bed with the last person he'd want, and shivering like a leaf. Seeing Chandler like this unlocked the side of James that he wouldn't normally show when it came to the dance captain. He wanted to apologize first and foremost and then make him something to eat. Something healthy and warm. Maybe throw in an extra blanket if he had one. Allow him to sleep through the activities planned for tomorrow and deal with the consequences later. It was his boyfriend mode.

It was then he decided that exhaustion had turned his brain to mush and he should probably get some sleep. So he did.

Waking up, James felt great. Weirdly enough, sleeping on a cheap mattress was somehow better than the one back home as the sleep he had was the best one he had in a while. It was a new day, which meant that all of the sins of yesterday were history, and James could forget anything had ever happened. No fights for the basketball court, no chaotic fishing, no stupid campfire games, no—

There was a shift in movement that disrupted the morning's peace. And suddenly James became aware of the position he was in. Or at least the position that Chandler was. The volleyball captain was learning new things about his rival every day. First he learned that pushing him in a cold lake would get him sick, and now he learned that Chandler liked to move in his sleep. More specifically, he liked to move in his sleep and use James as his new pillow. With the dancer's head resting on his chest, completely unaware and still drowned in sleep.

The image of it was both unbelievable and domestic. As if they didn't completely hate each other's guts and that the peaceful look on Chandler's face wouldn't quickly turn back to a form of annoyance or anger.

Unfortunately, with Chandler on him, James had to wake him up if he wanted to get up.
"Good morning."
He tried to hide the panic and confusion in his tone. He failed.
"Feeling better?"

































war of hearts



ruelle










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    blame it all on the fever
















As soon as he’d moved, Chandler expected the mattress to dip, accommodating for the weight of another. Except, minutes (or what felt like it) went by and there was still no shift of the bed, still no other body occupying the space besides his own.

Part of him was tempted to turn his head and ask James what the hell was taking so long. It wasn’t rocket science—all he had to do was climb in and pull the covers up over his body. Was he afraid that Chan was going to roll over and whack or kick him? Maybe. But Chan could hardly even lift a finger currently, so that shouldn’t be a fear.

He didn’t turn his head.

Eventually he felt the mattress dip and James finally climb in, though given the small size of the bed, it was impossible for them not to touch. In most cases, he’d mind the touching and would do everything he could to get away. This time was different. This time, he had a fever and was freezing. The contact of their skin actually sent warmth through him so instead of pulling away, he actually pushed his back further into the contact and was asleep instantly.

◇─◇──◇─◇​

At some point during the night, several things seemed to have happened. One, he chucked his pillow to the floor. Two, he must have gotten incredibly hot and stripped his shirt off in his sleep, leaving him shirtless. Three, he probably unconsciously got mad about the lack of pillow and sought out the next best thing; James’ chest.

He was still deep in sleep, still dead to the world when James awoke. At the words, however, he began to stir but didn’t open his eyes. Given the warmth on one side of his face and the fact that he could hear a rhythmic thump-thump of a heartbeat in one ear, he figured he had made James’ chest his new pillow. And because he could feel an arm and leg in an odd position, guessed James became his teddy bear.

In most cases, realizing he’d been using someone else’s chest as a pillow and body as a teddy bear would have sent him scrambling away, completely red in the face and already spewing words of defense. Not this time, however. This time, his fever was worse than it had been the night before and he found himself to be completely uncaring about the overall predicament he was currently in. In fact, he wanted to stay right where he was and go back to sleep.

It was then he remembered that James asked if he were feeling better. “Yeah,” Chan answered through a yawn. Lie. He was feeling 100% worse than he had been, but wasn’t about to let anyone know. So, he lifted himself off of James and stood up, ignoring the dizziness that immediately swept through him as he did so. It was then he noticed his shirt on the floor, which prompted him to stare down at his bare upper body. Instead of doing anything about it, he just walked into the bathroom.

His usual morning routine took longer than normal given the dizziness and the fact that he was pretty shaky all over. His whole body still ached like a motherfucker but he had to ignore that if he wanted to get through practice. And he had to get through it since Paris was only a few days away.

Emerging from the bathroom, he walked over to his bag and rummaged through it, though ended up pulling out the first clean hoodie and shorts his hand came into contact with. Getting dressed proved to be difficult since he couldn’t find the gap to put his head through in the hoodie and when he finally did, bit back a cry of pain as it squeezed his temples and caused a major headache. He nearly put his shorts on backwards and had finished tying a shoe only to realize he’d put it on the wrong foot. Great.

If getting dressed was a struggle, Chan didn’t even want to think about how much of a struggle it would be to tie the bandana around his head. Biting his lip in trepidation, he raised his arms and wrapped it around his forehead. Tying it proved to be the problem. His hands were shaking so much that he couldn’t pull one of the pieces through to tie a knot. Abandoning the bandana completely, he grabbed a sweatband from his bag and pushed that into his hair.

He really hoped James hadn’t seen any of this.

Shakily getting to his feet, he walked to the door and opened it, though turned and looked back at James before he could walk through. Ignoring the total deja vu he felt from the day before, he began to speak. “I know we’re heading the same way to each of our practices, so I’ll wait for you outside if you want to walk over together?”

Was he, Chandler Wu, really asking Enemy Number 1 to walk over with him to each of their respective practices? The fever must really be messing with him. Trying to ignore the fact that he just offered that up, he stayed true to his word and walked outside to wait. He’d only wait a few minutes, however. The president couldn’t be late to his own practice.

Leaning against one of the posts on the porch, he shut his eyes and tried not to fall asleep while waiting.































you're somebody else



flora cash










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    am i still dreaming?
















Instead of feeling trapped underneath Chandler's limbs like a mouse would under the constraints of a snake, James felt warm. Definitely because of the additional bodyheat of the other's fever but it was honestly, pretty nice. Like a warm blanket. If the feeling wasn't because he was cuddled up against his enemy since his time on the volleyball team, he probably would have opted to basking in the warmth of another and the sunlight a little longer. He had always been a cuddler, can you really blame him?

However the cuddling was from his enemy and that in of itself was its own can of worms. The panicky blur of last night was exactly what it was. A blur. He vaguely remembered the pain of his bed breaking, the pride he had to swallow to be allowed to sleep in Chandler's, and the inkling of what he was feeling when he noticed how bad the other's fever was. Other than that, he didn't quite know and a part of himself didn't want to know. Too much thought on a retreat where all he needed to do was co-exist with his enemy for a couple of days.

"I said to get along with Chandler Wu, not sleep with him!"

He could already hear the annoying, goblin-like snickers of Zach and the scandalous gasp of Conrad already. Despite him knowing that he slept with the dance captain in the literal sense, he knew it was the reaction that would be garnered from it. It was a good thing he planned on not telling a soul.

"Yeah,"

"Yeah?"
James didn't quite believe him, but he figured that doubt would only grow a morning argument he wasn't ready for. The volleyball captain was far from a doctor, but he knew that fevers didn't just go away in a night. Not without medicine and James didn't recall Chandler taking anything before, after, or during their cuddle session.
"If you say so."


Not a single soul but his own will know of this, but the tiniest fragment of James missed the warmth when Chandler got up. It reminded him like the bubble of calm he felt around them when they did the dare and much like the bubble before, it popped and left James in conflicting confusion. It was nice sharing the few moments where Chandler wasn't showing him anger or annoyance? Would he want to see more of this side of the guy? For most of the times these conflicting feelings arose, he was able to blame it on exhaustion and concussions. This time, he chose to blame it on the groginess of the morning. Yeah. That sounded about right.

His routine was less of a routine and more of a series floundering to get prepared. As it turned out, with his bed becoming but a pile of splinters and cloth on the ground, James had to resort to crouching in order to get a new set of clothes from his bag. Though his issues were nothing but first-world problems compared to Chandler.

Much like how he was the day before, James eyes couldn't help but wander to his temporary roommate. It was clear that the Chandler he saw yesterday was not the same to the one today. As much as he hated to admit it, but in the eyes of James, Chandler operated like a well-oiled machine. A bratty, extremely annoying, well-oiled machine that ran smoothly in almost anything that he'd do. On an off-day like this though, there were some small mess-ups that anyone else would assume to be normal. Fortunately or unfortunately, James was not anyone else.

But instead of saying anything, he chose to take note of it, not entirely knowing how to talk about it even if he decided to mention it.

“I know we’re heading the same way to each of our practices, so I’ll wait for you outside if you want to walk over together?”

Yeah something was clearly wrong. Maybe he should bring it up with Kastor(?) if he had the chance.
"I'd like that,"
Surprisingly, not a lie.
"I'll be out in a bit."
Was James still dreaming? Was he even alive? Crazy conspiracy theorists who believed that humanity was living in a simulation were starting to seem less crazy to him.

The captain watched the other leave before taking out his phone.

the big man
> change of plans, we're all running laps.

2nd-in-command
> what why??

the big man
> it's good exercise, just listen to me on this one.

Would he ever admit that he threw his team to the sharks just because he wanted to take extra precautions on a sick person? Chandler Wu of all people? No, he fully intended to take it to grave. If something were to happen, at least he was around to help. James has had his fair-share of accidents and that credibility was definitely the only reason why he'd choose to do this. And if nothing happens, then running laps was still good warm-ups for him and the time.

By the time he got out of the cabin, Chandler had already looked to be dozing off.
"Ready to go?"
His tone lacked the sharpness it usually had when talking to Chandler, it felt more casual on his lips. Maybe change wasn't entirely a bad thing.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆​

"Remind me again why you wanted us to run laps this early in the morning?"

"I thought only Percy had to do this!"

"Did Wu upset you so bad that you wanted to take it out on us, cap?"

"Can you all quit complaining?"
Not that the complaining was all that surprising. His team were many things, athletes willing to run early in the morning from the basketball court to the parking lot were not one of them.
"Like I've been saying, it's good exercise."


Maybe there was a giveaway in his eyes when the volleyball team drew closer to the parking lot. Or maybe Ethan put two and two together simply by the path his captain was leading them to. Either way, he laughed, "Or maybe you just want to see Wu, again?" A little bit, yes. Just to check on him.

Instead, James ignored the question, the additional heat to his cheeks, and kept jogging.

































my kinda love



sugr?










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    he sadly passed out so he doesn't have one
















All of the dance crew was at the parking lot by the time Chandler got there, though none of them mentioned his tardiness. Oh, it was on some of their minds, particularly Kaden’s, Felix’s and Adrianna’s, but when they got a closer look at his face and saw just how worse the fever was, held their tongues.

Chan didn’t offer anything in the way of his normal greetings, just giving a slight nod before sitting down and stretching. The others looked at each other in slight alarm, exchanging silent glances that said everything that went unspoken. It was Gavin who ended up breaking it. ”Chan?” the youngest spoke tentatively, cautiously, ”Are you okay?” More like are you okay to be dancing?

Once again, the leader said nothing, just nodded his head as a form of nonverbal confirmation. He finished his stretches and sat there in silence for a few minutes, trying to remember which dances they were doing at Paris and therefore which ones they needed to rehearse now. The fever was making the process difficult, fogging up his brain and clouding his mind.

Eventually it all came together and he slowly stood to face the others. ”Okay first we’re doing Taste, then it’s Trip and then Party. We’ll figure out the rest after Party.” Luckily he didn’t see the worried glances after his little announcement. The reason why he chose Taste first was because he wasn’t in it until the end and it would allow him to stand there and prepare himself for the next two dances that he was in the majority of.

When Taste ended, Kaden ended up pulling Adrianna and Willow off to the side since they danced with Chan at the start of the next song. ”Watch him,” The VP started. ”We’ll be watching from the front but if you see him stumble or give any indication of crumbling, stop what you’re doing and shout.”

The whole team watched with bated breath as the music started, Adrianna and Willow missing their cues since they were so focused on watching and making sure Chandler didn’t fall down. Sharp intakes of said breath were heard as Chan did the fast paced spin followed by the arm movements at the twenty second marker, each one of them expecting him to collapse and not get up. But he remained upright.

Voices were heard halfway through, causing Chandler’s attention to be grabbed away momentarily, eyes resting on the incoming jogging volleyball team. Great. He didn’t care that they were approaching since the dancers had already proven that they didn’t give a damn if they had an audience. No, what he did care about was the fact that he felt like shit and it was getting worse and he knew he was going to pass out any minute. He didn’t want the volleyball team to see it happen.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side.

Having to drop to the ground during Trip and then roll back up made him exceptionally dizzy and that dizziness continued throughout the rest of the dance and still lingered when Party started. Chan was front and center for the majority of this song, Hugo and Kaden behind him and Felix and Gavin on either side, something that brought them great relief. At least they’d be able to catch him should he fall.

And fall he did. And sadly, the volleyball team had just reached them.

It didn’t happen right away, the first minute was clear. It happened when the chorus started the second time, when Gavin and Kaden went to one side, Hugo and Felix the other. As he was leaving the formers side and backing up to reach the others, the dizziness became too much and he finally succumbed to everything, eyes rolling back as he collapsed.

”Chan!” someone shouted as Hugo ran forward to catch him, slowly sitting down and using his lap as a pillow for Chandler’s head. One of them cut the music and then they were all grouped around Hugo, trying to figure out what they should do with their leader.

”I think we should end practice.” said Felix.

”Oh really? And what brought you to that conclusion?” snapped Willow.

”He can’t just stay out here on Hugo’s lap all day. We have to get him back to his cabin.” came Gavin’s reply.

”How? We’re all weak as hell with noodle arms.” supplied Felix, once again offering nothing helpful.

”Well, Hugo, Chan and I all workout together when the time allows us to, so I know we’ve got some muscles. Hugo and I can carry him back to his cabin and I’ll stay with him since it’s my duty as a best friend and Vice President.” Kaden said with an air of finality in his tone.

Sharing a look with the oldest on the team, who adjusted himself accordingly to prepare to move, the VP bent down to pick him up.































call on me



starley










♡coded by uxie♡
 



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    the doctor nurse in shining armor has arrived
















James Pangan wasn't much of an overthinker. Some would even say he wasn't one to think at all. He enjoyed riding the tide, floating along the current, and not worrying about any storms that could strike. "Ignorance is bliss" was a quote that graced his Instagram bio during his first year of college.

And yet flash-forward to the present, many hypotheticals and gut feelings were overcoming him. "Or maybe you just want to see Wu, again?" Only Ethan could hit the nail in his metaphorical coffin. Call it guilt for a newfound care, but James felt the need to check up on the dancer. Jogging began to feel like pins and needles and he knew the sense of urgency could only wash away if his mind was at ease.

Now more than ever was James looking forward to Chandler's pointed accusations of walking over his group's turf.

"The dance brigade sure is a well-oiled machine." Sam's muttering sent James crashing from the clouds. "Did you really want to spy on them before practice?" The volleyball team had finally jogged far enough to arrive at Elev8's practice spot. And for a moment James felt a weight lifted off of his chest.

Just from a close enough distance, the dancers were doing what they did best. Dancing. Which meant James could huff and roll his eyes at his team's teasing because everything was okay. Chandler was okay.

Even Thomas's jab at his captain's arm couldn't phase him in this brief moment of zen. "I can't believe you. Absolute buffoonery." He heaved.

Before James could let out a breath of defense, the thin veil of security tore apart. One second Chandler was up, the next he collapsed. It shouldn't have been a surprise, every alarm bell was ringing when he checked up on the dance captain earlier that morning.
"Shit!"
James Pangan wasn't much of an overthinker. And like on autopilot, he came running.

The quick steps of his teammates followed behind, though their captain was completely tunnel-visioned. Mind racing as fast as his steps, James joined the swarm of dancers.

"Let me carry him."
Much like how he was before the retreat, James spoke without a second thought. He didn't need to doubt himself.
"My arms are far from noodles. Working out is part of the sport."
Klarence (?) and the other Elev8 members meant well, of course they did. But James wanted to get Chandler out of the heat of the sun as fast as possible.

Meeting the eyes of Keaton (?), he spared a smile as an attempt at comfort.
"I made him ill, it's only right that I help him recover."


"If it helps, James is also in health sciences." As expected, Conrad came to his captain's aid, paired with enthusiastic nods of agreement from Albert.

"Yeah, Wu is gonna get the full nurse Pangan treatment." And equally as expected, Percy was around to tease.

In most cases, when someone would see another passed out, they'd show pity. A flood of sympathy and a need to coddle and care. James felt all those emotions wrapped into a frazzled blanket. Except he showed care differently. Especially towards Chandler.

Beyond his concern and desire to help was also frustration and knowing. Chandler knew he was lying out of his ass when he told James he was okay, and he knew he could pass out if he pushed himself to practice. Yet despite all of it, here they both were.

Chandler fucking Wu was sure to get a talking.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆​

James tried his best not to feel so awkward but it was a bit difficult when there were a shit ton of elephants in the room. One, Chandler "I'm going to pretend I'm fine and drop dead" Wu was in his arms like a sleeping bride. Two, his alleged "best friend and Vice President" was following along. And three, said "best friend and Vice President" could see his shattered bedframe and torn mattress on the floor.

Maybe if I don't acknowledge it, he won't either.

There were bigger things to worry about like his passed-out roomie. After (gently) setting Chandler down onto the bed, the knot that had been festering in James' stomach the entire walk from the parking lot to the cabin came undone.
"You sure know how to scare the shit out of me."
The whisper was more for himself and his unconscious rival but with the cabin so quiet, Kristian (?) probably had caught it. Shifting his attention to the other, he sighed,
"Does he do this a lot?"
It was meant to come off as a joke but the tinge of genuine concern bled easily through his tired laugh.

































not another
song about love



hollywood ending










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



kaden navarro





































  • mood



    could i be witnessing. . . true love?
















Though anyone else may be embarrassed about having their arms compared to noodles, Kaden wasn’t in the slightest. In fact, one would probably laugh at how quickly he backed away from Chandler and allowed James to literally swoop in and save the day. At least their leader wouldn’t end up being dropped on the gravel like he would’ve should he and Hugo have carried him. It was better for all of them, really.

After grabbing Chan’s phone and other belongings, he followed closely behind the prince carrying his sleeping princess, mainly to make sure no one would be getting dropped. He doubted it would happen, but given James and Chandler’s past history, could never be too sure. Sooner than he realized, they arrived at the cabin. In hindsight, he probably should have helped opened the door considering James was carrying another human being in his arms, but Kaden just stood back and waited.

The inside of the cabin looked exactly like the one he was sharing with Conrad, save from the broken bed. Damn. How hard did they go last night? He thought Chan was sick and also thought that they hated each other, but maybe neither were true. And if a shit eating grin spread across his features, no it didn’t.

He had just opened his mouth to tease ask about the bed when out of the corner of his eye, caught James setting Chandler down with the utmost caution. Though he knew he wasn’t meant to hear the words James spoke, he managed to hear every single thing that was said and all of his own teasing words died in his throat. Now this, this was something he’d never seen before. Okay, yes he had, but not from these two and not from James. From everything that Chandler had told him and everything that he witnessed, the two didn’t like each other. So why was James looking at Chan like this? There was only one answer.

”Does he do this a lot?”

That broke Kaden out of his reverie. ”Do what?” he questioned, walking over to Chandler. ”Pass out? No. Get sick? Yes. Especially when he’s stressed like he is now.” Perhaps James didn’t know Chan was stressed, however. Then James’ words from earlier bounced around in his head; “I made him ill, it’s only right that I help him recover.”

Kaden felt Chan’s forehead and then lifted his sweatshirt to feel more of his skin. ”Mierda” he cursed. It was drenched in sweat, just as he feared ”Earlier, when you said you made him ill. . .” he started, lifting Chan up slightly and pulling his sweatshirt off, ”That’s not true. Yes, getting pushed into the lake may have sped everything up since he doesn’t do well with cold temperatures, but he would’ve gotten a fever regardless.” Kaden set the now shirtless Chan back against the pillows and started working on getting his shoes untied.

”With the competition in Paris quickly approaching, he’s been nothing but a ball of stress these past two weeks,” he explained. ”He hasn’t left the yoga studio he’s been renting to practice until after midnight every night and then is back at 7am before classes. He hasn’t been sleeping much at all and I doubt eating much either,” Stressed Chandler tended to forget about that, something Kaden knew well. ”In fact, I don’t think he ate at all yesterday.” He dropped one of the shoes to the floor and began to work on the other. ”When he doesn’t get much sleep or food, he gets sick. This time appears worse than any other, however.”

And Kaden knew the reason why. All of the dancers did. He figured he was about to be asked why it was worse and an internal war raged inside his head: if he told James, Chandler would probably kill him. But telling James could potentially help the recovery process and also help him understand exactly why Chan was doing/did this. So, after exhaling, he started, ”It’s because of the competition. Or rather, who’s going to be in attendance. This is the first time ELEV8 is competing against RTR, Chandler’s ex’s dance crew. And Chan wants nothing more in the world than to beat him.”

It wasn’t the case of wanting to beat an ex just because they were your ex. Chandler wanted to beat them because of what this guy did to him. ”When I say this guy is literal scum of the earth, I mean it. It was okay at first, but he soon showed his true colors and became mean as hell to Chan, treated him awfully, was constantly belittling him and shitting on his choreography and dancing, which makes no sense since Chandler is said by many pros to be one of the top ten dancers in the world. He was also cheating on Chan throughout their entire relationship,” He checked to make sure Chan was still passed out. ”So Chandler wants to beat RTR more than anything to prove that his choreography and his dancing aren’t awful, that they were enough to win it all.”

And if Chandler also wanted to beat him because he was an ex, well, that was his little secret.

Finished with the shoes, Kaden made his way into the bathroom and gathered up all of the towels under his arm. He then turned the sink on and ran two towels under the water before shutting it off and walking back out to the main room. He dropped the dry towels unceremoniously onto the nightstand and folded up one of the wet ones before placing it on Chan’s forehead. The other he used to begin wiping down Chandler’s body. After a few minutes, he heard a chime from his phone and paused to read the message.

Kaden left the towel on Chan’s stomach before rummaging through the nightstand drawer, finding a pen and notepad and pulling them out. He quickly scribbled onto them and stood, stretching his arms above his head. ”Right. I just wrote my contact info so you can add me on WhatsApp should you need me. It’ll pop up as KayNav since that’s my user, but know it’s me, Kaden,” He picked up the stomach towel and handed it to James. ”Just keep wiping him down with this and switch towels, though if what your teammates said is true and Chandler is going to get a full nurse treatment from you, I think you already knew what to do.”

He set Chan’s phone down on the nightstand and made sure he had his own before beginning his walk towards the door. "Since Adrianna just texted me about needing my matchmaking services to help get Willow and one of your team members together, I’m going to head out. Again, text or call me if you need anything. Or call Conrad since we’re in charge now and will probably be together anyways.”

Kaden threw open the cabin door and walked out, though before the door could shut all the way behind him, popped his head back in. ”Even though you had a lot of fun last night,” he nodded his head towards the broken bed pieces, ”I’d suggest being gentle with him today. After all, he did just pass out.”

With that, the door snapped shut behind him and Kaden was gone.

































n/a



n/a










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    thought-dumping to a passed out man
















Not expected at all from time with Wu's right-hand man, but James had undergone a rollercoaster of emotions in what felt like a span of minutes.

Rivalry meant a lot of things, it truly depended on the person. Some saw rivalry as more friendly than others—mostly teasing than actually fighting, and some liked to pull whatever energy Potter and Malfoy had (and yes, James watched the Harry Potter movies, who hasn't?) The Wu-Pangan rivalry was more on the hostile side; if intimidating dance choreography and pushes into the lake didn’t prove it, their history before the retreat spoke for itself. Teammates, friends, and the entire student body could hear their shouting fits in the gym echoing throughout the entire campus. James had even been considering putting the question, "Thoughts on the uni's crumby dance brigade?" in future volleyball team auditions. But at the end of the day, it was just what they were. Rivals.

Born from petty grievances of getting on each other's nerves from months of co-existing in the same area. Their rivalry was as volatile as two kids wanting to hog the sandbox for themselves: harmless in hindsight, but can still get out of hand. However, from the way Kaden (thank god he said his name) put it, their rivalry was nowhere near whatever was brewing between Wu and his ex.

James has had his fair share of bad breakups, with exes refusing to give back his hoodies or making him a sight for sore eyes on the tube from the tears welling in his eyes. But he never had an ex in the same line of sports he competed in—let alone get put into a situation where he had to go against a previous love. Suddenly everything came together in the gigantic jigsaw puzzle which was James' brain.

And like a rollercoaster, more twists, turns, and loop de loops followed. Name reveals, match-making his trademark emo, and... James would rather not acknowledge the last bit of Kaden's spiel. Now at the end of the ride, there James sat at the edge of Chandler's bed, looking towards the other in a way he didn't think he ever did before. In his eyes was sympathy. Care. A little unbecoming as a rival but James couldn't find it in himself to really care about that.

"Let's get you into shape for your Paris trip, yeah?"
Or at least in a state enough to get him through the rest of the trip.

Conrad and Percy weren't overselling when they said James knew what he was doing. Despite how it seemed like most of the time the volleyball captain was fumbling through life with no worries nor thoughts, James had quite the knowledge on caring for people under the weather. With the amount of times he had to care for his stupid little cousins because they fell ill on summer trips, he had to gain some muscle memory.

"Sleeping beauty eat your heart out, the only princess I know is Chandler Wu."
At this moment in time, he was thankful for two things: one, that Kaden did all the highly-intimate steps for him and two, Wu was out like a light—which meant James could be as chatty as he wanted while he wiped him with the damp towel Kaden had left. It ultimately helped in filling a rather awkward silence left by Chandler's snarky remarks out of commission and in stopping James' eyes from getting distracted.
"I still don't know who's gonna lecture you harder, your team or me. But know one thing Wu, the headmaster is gonna have a field day with everything so far."


He moved the towel to Wu's forehead.
"It's strange how quickly things can change just from a fever. Which was very dumb of you by the way. Didn't anyone tell you the first rule of camping was not to get sick in the middle of it?"
Despite his words intending to scold, his movement was the opposite, light with the way he wiped down the dance captain's sweat.
"I'm gonna have a closer eye on you now, Wu. Can't have you dying on me."


"On me." Any implication of intimacy sent James biting his tongue.
"How can your team ever win without you?"
Somehow by trying to claw his way out of a small rabbit hole, he created a sinkhole. The guy was passed out anyway, what really was the harm?
"Being one of the top 10 dancers worldwide is admittedly, cool. Glad you're still out of it or else I wouldn't hear the end of this one. But this entire trip so far has been quite the journey. A confusing, messed-up journey. Maybe our next agenda will include you lot teaching us a thing or two about dancing and we'll play some rounds of volleyball."
The idea alone should've gotten a reaction out of the volleyball player, yet he didn't feel as opposed as he probably should have.

"You know, when you're better and all. Might make you a porridge too if you wake up soon, don't think I didn't notice your lack of a breakfast you stubborn prick."

































could this
be love?



saturn 17










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    me and mr.nurseinshiningarmor get along so good
















This type of sleep was quite nice, Chandler had to admit. No, feeling feverish and then passing out in front of everyone definitely wasn’t quite nice and would most likely be at the top of his list of embarrassing moments. What was nice was the deep slumber he found himself in. Having not slept for more than 5 hours a night (and 5 if he was lucky since it was usually less) these past 2 weeks, finally getting the sleep he so desperately craved and needed was a gift.

He didn’t know that he was back in the cabin. In fact, he had no idea where he was. For all he knew, he could be in the same parking lot he passed out in, left there by the crew. He wouldn’t put it past them—they once left Hugo at a grocery store on purpose. Well, regardless of where he was, he could tell he was comfortable and that was all that mattered.

At some point, and this point could have been minutes, hours, or even days later, he felt himself slowly bleed back into consciousness. Not fully, but he was aware he was on something soft and that there were voices nearby, though they sounded far away and as if he were underwater. He didn’t bother to open his eyes or give any indication that he was awake, just turned his head slightly and was back in dreamland.

The next time Chan awoke, he was more alert than the previous time. He was still groggy and out of it, but he knew that he was shirtless and that there was a towel both on his forehead and wiping him down. Assuming it was Kaden on the other end of the towel, he again didn’t open his eyes and allowed himself to be pulled back under.

“I still don’t know who’s going to lecture you harder. . .”

That wasn’t Kaden’s voice. That was the voice of his roommate, a voice that sounded very close. Was James the one wiping his body off? It sure seemed like it. My my my, what an interesting twist. Less than twenty-four hours ago they wanted to shove each other off the nearest cliff, yet now Chan was lying semi-conscious in a bed and James was wiping him down. A day ago, he would have protested against even the mere thought of this. Today, he found that he didn’t really care. Blame it on the fever, blame it on the profound, whole body exhaustion he was experiencing, but he didn’t mind the fact that James was taking care of him.

He allowed the other to continue talking, actually finding himself enjoying everything that was said. He liked being talked to, even if he was only half awake. Soon he found himself actually replying in his head to what was spoken to him.

“Didn't anyone tell you the first rule of camping was not to get sick in the middle of it?"

Must’ve missed that one, actually.

"I'm gonna have a closer eye on you now, Wu. Can't have you dying on me."

What, you gonna follow me everywhere? Attach a camera to my head? Don’t worry, I’m not dying on anyone.

He found himself getting hot but before he could open his eyes and try to voice a complaint, the towel was there.

“How can your team ever win without you?”

Think I’ve taught them well enough that they’d have a fighting chance. After all, we are all very good dancers and I’m a very good teacher.

"Being one of the top 10 dancers worldwide is admittedly, cool. Glad you're still out of it or else I wouldn't hear the end of this one. But this entire trip so far has been quite the journey. A confusing, messed-up journey. Maybe our next agenda will include you lot teaching us a thing or two about dancing and we’ll play some rounds of volleyball.”

Thank you for admitting. It is very cool indeed. But alas, I’m not still out of it, not really. However, I shockingly don’t plan on giving you a hard time, even though you gave me one when you pushed me in the lake. Speaking of, you pushed me in the lake and now you’re wiping my body down? Like you said, definitely a journey. And if I had to take a guess, Kaden is already teaching your team various dances since it’s what he always does when left in charge. I’d like to see y’all teaching the volleyball though. The ball will probably hit their faces more than their hands.

"You know, when you're better and all. Might make you a porridge too if you wake up soon, don't think I didn't notice your lack of a breakfast you stubborn prick."

Now it was time to announce his conscious presence by slowly opening his eyes. “I’d rather have waffles, but I doubt that’ll be an option, so oatmeal will have to do,” he started with a sigh, voice thick with sleep and sickness. “I might be a stubborn prick, yes, but at least I'm a cute one," A pause, as if he were waiting for anyone to try to negate that statement. "I wasn’t trying to be stubborn though. I just. . . forgot,” Which wasn’t a lie since earlier today, eating was the last thing on his mind. “You didn’t eat anything either,” Or at least nothing that he saw, anyways, “so don’t try to pin it all on me.”

It was weird, having a semi-normal conversation with James while he was half naked and the other was wiping his body down. But, like he’d admitted to himself before, he didn’t really mind it. He was still very feverish and quite exhausted so there was no energy whatsoever to fight it, but he didn’t really want to. It was nice, being taken care of like this. No one had done it before.

“So am I getting the oatmeal?”































i need only you



love beans










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    yum yum yummers
















It would be a bald-faced lie on James' end to say he didn't jolt just a little bit when sleeping beauty started talking back to him again. Though the initial surprise quickly melted into relief—a sharp tongue meant he wasn't sick to the brink of death, which was good. Chandler being awake was good. Chandler replying to a portion of his thought dump of stupidity was good. James wouldn't let an underlying fester of paranoia eat at his curiosity about how much he overheard in his fever sleep, nor retort at Chandler calling himself cute. He was calm cool and collected. He was acting like a nurse like what his team would normally say and definitely not like any other version of himself. Definitely.

Instead, he hummed with an unimpressed look.
"Right. A snot-nosed cutie pie."
So much for no retorting. Old habits really did die hard, although this time around his tone lacked grit, sounding more of a friendly tease than an attempt to get under his skin. The call-out even made the volleyball captain laugh, raising his hands up like a robber found red-handed.
"You got me there. But remind me again which one of us actually passed out? Checkmate."
It felt almost hypocritical to urge the other to eat where James himself hadn't but whoever said that he was fair?

It was incredibly weird, having an enjoyable conversation with a sickly (half-naked) Chandler Wu but James quickly discovered it wasn't a fact that made his skeleton jump out of his skin. Quite the opposite in fact. Despite James' own exterior attitude, he enjoyed caring for people and Chandler was no exception, but it wasn't what he really something he foresaw in his future. Yet here the two were, weirdly enjoying the other's company—or at least James was.

“So am I getting the oatmeal?”

The eyeroll Chandler triggered was out of amusement than actual annoyance. Like a child in a school play, James performed an overly dramatic bow before the bedridden dancer.
"Yes your majesty, I'll get you your oatmeal."
He attempted to put on an American accent for the latter end of his words, it sounded absolutely vile.
"I'll run out and get it,"
Quickly, he got up from his space at the edge of Chandler's bed.
"Be back in a jiff,"
Headed towards the door.
"Don't miss me too much."
With a wink and a smile, he was gone.

James immediately facepalmed at his own stupid exit before running towards the mess hall, completely ignoring the designated spy the two teams had assigned.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆​

What a sight seeing James somehow maneuver his way back in the cabin with oven mitts and a bowl of steaming oatmeal in his hands.
"Here's your porridge as promised. Be careful, it's a bit hot."
He returned rather quickly as promised, probably ten-ish minutes as his mind wandered while he mixed the oats into the bowl. James considered himself lucky he didn't burn himself because of his own distractions, or worse, bump into a grinning Ethan or Percy.
"You know, I think I did actually catch a little glimpse of your team teaching mine a couple of moves. That Kaden fella must be a patient man, Percy wouldn't know rhythm even if his life depended on it."


With the best precision a man in his position could possibly have, he put down a spare pillow to act as a makeshift surface between Chandler and the bowl. It was regular old oatmeal, nothing new besides the bananas sliced into it that James was lucky enough to find (whoever brought it for the trip, he semi-apologizes for stealing them)
"Tell me if you need help, alright?"
He put the mitts to the side, he'll return them eventually.
"You need all your strength for Paris."


There was no shame in asking for help, truly. But James knew better than to ignore the Wu ego, so he just sat back down in his spot on the edge of Chandler's bed, and handed him the spoon.

































why cant we
be friends?



the academic










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    let's see how stubborn i can be
















Under most circumstances, being called a snot-nosed cutie pie would cause Chandler to bristle with anger. It would probably make him say “no I’m not!” and start spewing words of defense and reasons as to why he was not, in fact, a snot-nosed cutie pie. Long story short, it would most definitely cause an argument. Thank fuck it wasn’t under normal circumstances. Eyes were rolled, sighs were heard, but no arguments were started.

“But remind me again which one of us actually passed out?”

Right. That would be himself. In hindsight, maybe starting an argument about the lack of eating while he himself was sick in a bed wasn’t the greatest idea. Instead of saying anything, Chan just huffed and allowed his lips to purse into a pout. Perhaps he should have replied, but he couldn’t think of anything to say, so he didn’t.

His eyes narrowed at the bow, unsure of what brought it on or what would come in the near future. He didn’t have to wait long to figure that out. At the accent attempt, narrowed eyes softened but a brow shot to his hairline. It was silent for a few moments before Chandler decided to comment. “We’re gonna have to work on that. The accent, I mean.” He knew James was trying to do an American accent, yet it sounded like anything but.

At the “don’t miss me too much”, Chan rolled his eyes. Or would have had even the attempt of doing so not exhausted him. All he could do now was close his eyes and sleep off the time until he’d get his oatmeal. Before they could fully shut, however, his eyes caught movement beside the tree nearest their cabin. Interesting. Last time he checked, which was actually very recently, James had brown hair, so the blonde head he caught sight of could not have been James. Who was this? Willow was the only one with blonde hair on the dance team, but he knew she’d rather be doing anything else than this, so this was obviously someone on the volleyball team sent to spy on them. How interesting.

But not interesting enough, apparently, since he fell asleep seconds later.

Chandler stirred slightly when the cabin door reopened, eyes not opening until oatmeal was mentioned. He struggled slightly, but managed to push himself into an upright position (and if his arms were shaking from the exertion, no they weren’t). He stayed silent as a pillow was placed onto his lap followed by the bowl of oatmeal. Only when everything was settled did he speak. “I don’t think Kaden and patience can be used in the same sentence,” he started, looking down at the bowl. “Give it a few more minutes and he’ll be kicking your teammate in the knees.” Since he didn’t pay attention during the bonfire ice breakers, had no idea who Percy was.

“Tell me if you need help, alright? You need all your strength for Paris.”

How James remembered Paris, Chan didn’t know. They were at each other’s throats whenever it was mentioned, and had it been himself, wouldn’t have even registered in his mind. But James remembered, and that in itself meant something. Then the spoon was handed to him, snapping him out of his reverie. “I don’t need help,” he grumbled, unsure why it was assumed he needed help.

But yes. Yes he did need help.

Managing to hold the spoon steady, he dipped it into the oatmeal and scooped a generous portion onto the metal before lifting it out. Good. No problems there. The problems arose when he tried to lift it to his mouth. Pushing himself up earlier had used up all of the energy that he had and there was simply none left. After a few tries, it became clear that he was not going to be able to raise the spoon past his chest. “Fuck,” he cursed out of frustration, eyes slipping shut and head tilting back. He remained in this position for a few moments, giving himself a mental pep talk and trying to gather any remnants of strength he knew he didn’t possess.

Mind set, he opened his eyes, scooped more oatmeal on the spoon and tried again. This time, his hand shook so badly that most of the oatmeal fell off before he could even get it out of the bowl. Fantastic. Giving up entirely, Chandler dropped the spoon and allowed it to clatter back into the bowl in defeat.

Now there was a war raging inside of his head, a war between his pride and his hunger. His pride was telling him to lie and say he wasn’t hungry, telling him that he should let himself be hungry and not even think about asking for help. His hunger was telling him to swallow the damn pride and ask for help. His pride won out. “I’m not hungry,” he lied, attempting to shove the bowl away but barely even moving it. “I don’t want it.” He did. But instead of doing anything about it, his eyes closed tightly, trying to keep the tears in.































see, i'm sorry



seafret










♡coded by uxie♡
 



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    boyfriend mode: on
















He witnessed as Chandler attempting to hold onto the spoon. How his hand shook under the weight and could never reach the mouth, no matter how hard it tried. James had been there before a couple of times. So sick that he could barely lift utensils for food, sometimes being too tired to even get out of bed.

It was pretty clear that the dance captain needed help but was still weighing the pros and cons of actually asking for it. Another familiar headspace James has been in. During those times he had one of his teammates or even his roommate to watch over him. For Chandler, he had James. That is, if he allowed him to help out. In the end, he chose to act as if there wasn't anything wrong.

"I'm not hungry, I don't want it."

"Uh-huh."
Yeah, James wasn't buying the "not-hungry" facade Chandler was selling. With a morphed look of concern and sympathy, he watched as the other put the spoon back into the bowl and attempt to move it further away—thinking about his next course of action. There was no way in hell that he was going to just: a.) let Chandler starve and b.) have his amateur attempts of cooking go to waste. Chandler was going to eat even if James will leave their cabin on crutches.

The Wu ego was a fickle thing but it never met the Pangan stubbornness; an immovable force that was known to annoy all who were unfortunate enough to deal with it.
"A little strange how you were demanding me for this oatmeal just a few minutes ago and suddenly you don't want it."
He grabbed the oatmeal from its place on Chandler's lap, still nice and hot.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're lying about not being hungry."
The all-knowing smile that had been growing on his face while James ran his mouth simmered away when he saw Chandler.

As worrying as whatever the implications could be, he was finding it hard to be obnoxious toward the dancer. Teasing was one thing, sure. But reaction Chandler's expression—no matter how hard he tried to hide it, made James feel like he was turning to mush.
"There's nothing embarrassing about asking me for help you know."
Even to his own ears, it shocked him how much softer his tone had turned. As if he was talking to a sick lover than a rival.
"I'd get force-fed by my team more times than I can count."


There wasn't anything wrong with asking for help, no matter how much Chandler's pride convinced him so.

He found himself shuffling closer to the other, trying to soothe Chandler with his free hand by rubbing his shoulder.
"And I'm not just gonna let you not eat. I'm not that evil. Plus, I think one of your crew members would kill me."
An attempt to get the other in a better mood at his own expense. Peeling his hand away from Chandler's shoulder, he held onto the spoon, pushing around the oatmeal before scooping some up into the spoon. It wasn't a lot, but enough to test the waters. And if Chandler was feeling extra bratty and wanted to fling the oatmeal right back at him, it wouldn't burn too much.
"Just try a bite, you don't have to eat a lot."


A part of himself wanted to acknowledge how surprising the retreat spiraled into. All the discoveries he made about himself and all the awkward situations that got him to realize them. But he also didn't want to mention it at all. It was for post-trip James to worry about and for Zach to have to try and deal with it all. Besides, at this moment, all that really went through James' mind was to be focusing on Chandler (no matter how that sounded—again, that's a future James problem)

Perhaps his teammates weren't completely off about his title of "Nurse Pangan". Not that he'd give them the satisfaction of admitting anything, Albert was already sent as a spy out their cabin. He lifted the spoon to meet Chandler's mouth, a surprisingly pleasant smile on his face.
"I'm not gonna make this a big deal, okay? So let me just feed you, you brat."

































sincerity is
scary



the 1975










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    are you a lighthouse?
















"A little strange how you were demanding me for this oatmeal just a few minutes ago and suddenly you don’t want it."

Chandler raised his head at the words, watery chestnut eyes opening slightly. Much to his embarrassment, a tear he’d been trying so hard to keep at bay slipped out and began trickling down his cheek. So much for that. And with no strength to even raise an arm to wipe it away, all he could do was to allow it to continue on its sorry path down his cheek.

"Yeah, well, things change." he muttered, praying that James wouldn’t say anything about the tear. And things surely did change. Never before did he ever think he’d be crying in front of James, nor did he think he’d come down with a fever and need to be taken care of. But perhaps, what changed the most was the fact that he somehow didn’t think James would comment on the tear. A few days ago, they both would have jumped on the opportunity to do so. Yet in the past 24 hours, there seemed to be a change between the two of them, a shift of sorts—some kind of mutual understanding and almost companionship that had developed.

Somehow, he knew he was safe.

He looked down when the oatmeal was removed from his lap, though looked up at the comment about him lying. He didn’t say anything to refute it because there was no point; they both knew he absolutely was.

"There’s nothing embarrassing about asking me for help, you know."

Chandler definitely noticed the change in tone of voice when that sentence was spoken. Any other time, it probably would’ve caused him slight alarm, but now all it did was comfort and reassure him. Did that mean anything? Well, now wasn’t the time to find out. Later. Later he’d take the time to figure out what exactly changed between them.

Try as he might to keep them open, Chan found his eyes slipping shut when the hand rubbed his shoulder. It actually sent warmth through him, which was shocking since he was burning up and his skin was already hot. A small huff was heard when James mentioned ELEV8 would kill him for not making Chan eat. "I don’t know about kill, but they might whack you with the spoon and bowl."

His gaze narrowed in on the spoon that now had oatmeal, apprehension flooding through him. He was hungry, yes, but still didn’t know how he felt about being fed. Except for when he was a baby, he’d never been fed before. Not when sick, not by an ex or a lover. This was the first. Before he could think about it further, the spoon was at his mouth.

"Let me just feed you, you brat."

A brow was raised (very slightly) when he was called a brat and eyes narrowed (also very slightly). Truthfully, he wasn’t offended at all since he knew he was a brat and was proud to be one. But the brattiness wasn’t super strong right now, so he opened his mouth and accepted the bite of oatmeal. It wasn’t bad. The addition of the banana slices were definitely a nice touch and would add additional fiber which was probably a good thing.

"Please don’t start moving the spoon around or making airplane noises to try to get me to eat," Chandler suddenly said as soon as he swallowed the first bite. "I know the TikTok trend where someone won’t eat what the other person is feeding them and then that person starts making airplane noises and suddenly the other is ravenous for the food," He doubted he was explaining correctly but didn’t care. "Because if you start doing that, I can assure you I will not be ravenous in the slightest. Instead of the oatmeal ending up in my stomach, it’ll end up dumped over your head." If he could even lift it up and dump it, that is.

The threat was an empty one. Empty for James because Chandler knew that the other knew he wouldn’t be able to lift the bowl. And empty for Chandler because of the realization he had a few minutes ago, the realization that he knew he was safe with James and therefore no TikTok trends would likely be done.

This whole situation sucked but all that was left for the both of them to do was get through it, to get through the fever with James as the lighthouse, guiding the sick Chandler through the recovery process. And there was nothing more Chan needed right now than his lighthouse.































comethru



jeremy zucker










♡coded by uxie♡
 



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    0 braincell convos with his 0.5 braincell roomie
















Lighthouses were meant to guide lost ships back home. A beacon of light many sailors would be relieved to see in their times of darkness and distress. James—thick-headed as he usually was, didn't exactly know if Chandler was *actually* relieved with his pushing for food but he liked to think he was. The empty threats only fueled his little belief in it. The doofus of a lighthouse and his grumpily stubborn sailor.

"What about some train sounds? Those are a personal favorite."
Without hesitation he mimicked the sound of a train, a goofy symphony of chuga, chuga, chuga with a higher pitched choo-choo! played out before James stopped himself with his own self-amused laughter.
"No dice? Your loss anyway, my cousins eat that shit up."
They did but considering the cousins he meant were literal toddlers, their stamp of approval probably didn't mean much.
"And you don't have to worry about any Tiktok trends from me, haven't had that on my phone since forever ago."
Footage of you goes viral from one local broadcast of your game one time, and suddenly every chronically online girl in Europe was making "edits" of you.
"But if you do ever feel like pouring oatmeal on me, maybe avoid the hair and face—they're the only things I've got besides my extremely good volleyball skills."


Empty threats and snarky comebacks. Occasional jab and dry retorts. Stupid fits of laughter and weirdly endearing eye rolls. Feeding Chandler ended up going better than anyone would have guessed. In that small space in time, one could even say they got along quite well. By the end of it, James managed to come out of the ordeal without a single chunk of oatmeal on him and Chandler had some food in his system.

With the now-empty bowl set to the side, James found himself with a hand on Wu's shoulder for the thousandth time that day.
"See? That wasn't so bad. Turns out we could do all that and not be in a 'two men enter, one leaves' scenario."
He ignored how easy contact with the dance captain grew to be.

"Now let's check your temperature, I have a feeling we don't have to do those other activities and just leave our teams to sweat out there."


⋆⋅☆⋅⋆​

If there was any weight to the not-so-infamous retreat feeding of '23, the two didn't acknowledge it throughout the rest of their retreat. Or the bus ride back. Or any time they crossed paths after. A part of James was glad for it—scratch that—eliviated that they stuck to his promise: not a big deal, just a part of the Nurse Pangan treatment. It left room for James to avoid basically everything and anything that had been discovered then. How domestic the two were as he fed the other back to health, the many flustered moments on James' part, and of course... the kiss.

"The kiss?"

"It's a long story, Zach. Please I'm dying out here."


"And I missed a couple of chapters to this story." The snickers he got from his roommate from the other side of their kitchen counter only made the volleyball captain sink into his chair even more.

It had been a couple of days after the retreat. All members of the respective teams got out of there unscathed (well, mostly unscathed as Thomas had a gnarly encounter with some poison ivy during a hike for signal) and everything seemed to go back to the way it was. Albeit, James tried to show just *a bit* more patience whenever the two teams' schedules aligned on the court. The retreat didn't completely solve the Pangan-Wu rivalry issue like the headmaster would have hoped. James would argue it somehow made it worse as it added a new layer of complexity that wasn't there before. Before the retreat, the rivalry was exactly what it was meant to be: a rivalry. The two would fight and argue, throw insults at one another, and do what they always did. The entire campus knew what hell would break loose whenever James Pangan and Chandler Wu were found in a room together.

Now, the same couldn't exactly be said. That is, on James' part at least. "Is the #1 Chandler hater going soft? I should've known something was off the minute you came home basically red in the face."

He wasn't red in the face when he got home.
"I wasn't red in the face when I got home."
The look shot back at him made James audibly wince.
"It was scorching outside, okay? Chandler had nothing to do with it."


"Ah, so you're at first-name basis now? What happened to Wu?"

"Just shut up and listen."
Surprisingly enough, Zach did listen. Listened pretty actively actually. It was like having his own laugh track with his spectacled roommate giggling and commentary. And James told him everything. From the beginning where they had to share a cabin, the middle where they had to share a bad, the in-between messes of dared kisses and shoves into an ice-cold lake, and the muddy end where James played knight.

James doesn't think he had ever seen Zach so delighted yet perplexed at the same time. "Okay so you're telling me that while I had to work my ass off this weekend, you spent it living out a homoerotic fanfiction?"

"Don't put it like that."


"How else am I supposed to put it?"

A sigh,
"Just less... Zach-like okay? I don't need this shit right now. He's coming over later to get his hair dyed."
If Zach hadn't choked on his Cheerios throughout the story, he was surely choking on them now. "What? Chandler Wu is showing up today? At our place? Without you telling me?"

Knock-knock​

"You owe me big time, Pangan."

































spring fever



sub urban










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    just bestie things
















"Remind me again why you’re tagging along?"

"Because there’s no way in hell I’m missing the chance to take pictures if something goes badly wrong," A withering glance from Chandler had Kaden crumbling. "Okay, and to be your backup in case of a fight," Another glance. "Okay fine. Mainly to catch up. I feel like I haven’t seen or talked to you in forever even though we’ve been by each other’s side for days."

Chandler felt a pang of guilt run through him at that. His fever hadn’t broken until the day after they got back from the retreat and the dance team refused to let him get out of bed until they needed to head to the airport to catch the flight to Paris. He was pissed about not being able to practice, however, after several long arguments, agreed to supervise through FaceTime. It wasn’t ideal, coaching the others without being there, but they made it work. And once on the plane, conversation was only about the competition. For the next two-and-a-half days, ELEV8 had only one thing on their minds; winning.

"It’s not your fault," Kaden must have sensed the guilt coming from him. "You cant help the fact that you got a fever. It made practice difficult, yeah, but we made the most of it," Kaden, ever so chaotic, was oddly good at giving pep talks. "And hey, we won!" The Spaniard tightened his grip on the pole of the underground as it rattled away under London. "We never got the chance to talk about what happened, with you being sick, the competition, and then you staying in Paris until today to teach the masterclasses, but now that I have you alone. . . . what happened at the retreat? Tell me everything."

Chandler bit his lip and adjusted the backpack on his back. Did he really want to get into this? Ever since they’d gotten home from the retreat over a week ago, he’d successfully managed to block out every thought from it. Well, not every thought, just the thoughts about how the relationship between him and a certain James Pangan had changed significantly. Blocking the thoughts out hadn’t been as hard as he thought it was going to be since his mind was solely focused on getting better and winning the competition, but now that he was on his way to get his hair dyed in the presence of the subject of said blocked thoughts, it was time to think about them again.

"Well, you already know about me getting pushed in the lake which kickstarted the fever and then the kiss," How quickly Chandler turned bright red after saying that was alarming. "After I left the bonfire, I fell asleep before he returned and when he did, he jumped on his bed and it broke so we had to share mine, and then woke up the next morning." He left out the part where he woke up on top of James.

"Oh, so that’s what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"The bed breaking. I thought— never mind, continue."

Chan looked at him skeptically before continuing on. "Then he went to his practice and I went to ours, I passed out and then woke up in bed—"

"He carried you." Kaden interrupted again.

"What?"

"After you passed out, Pangan carried you to your cabin. Insisted on it, actually. It was weird, almost like he knew you were going to pass out. We were all huddled around you, Hugo and I about to carry you back when he suddenly appeared out of thin air and scooped you up."

Chandler had no idea what to do with that newfound piece of information. All this time he just assumed it was members of the dance team that had carried him back, not James. Now he and his former-enemy-turned-possible-friend had even more to discuss. "Huh," he said and continued on as if there hadn’t been any pause. "Well, I woke up back at the cabin, he was talking to me and wiping my body down with a towel. Somehow I became shirtless and—"

“I did that.”

"Eh?"

"I followed you two back to the cabin just in case and took off your shirt and shoes because you were drenched in sweat. Whatever, proceed."

"And then we talked and I ate a bowl of oatmeal," Or more like was force-fed a bowl of oatmeal but he left that out, "and then I fell asleep on him." Well, he didn’t mean to let that slip but too late.

"On him?!"

"Yeah. I just… fell asleep on his shoulder and stayed that way." Lie. He did fall asleep on James’ shoulder yes, but woke up hours later using the other's chest as a pillow for the second time in a 24 hour span. Unlike the first time, this time there was an arm slightly wrapped around him, as if encouraging him to sleep there. He was almost positive they remained like this that entire night, too. Yet another thing to add to the Pangan-Wu discussion list. "Enough about me. What did you all do while I was down for the count?"

"Well, most of the day was spent playing matchmaker for Willow, but we finished up practice on our own. There was a collective agreement to ignore the planned activities and instead, I led us in teaching the volleyball team some easy dances and then they taught us basic volleyball moves and we played some games. Got our asses kicked but then we somehow beat them in basketball," Kaden paused to actually pat himself on the back for that win. "Then after dinner we had another bonfire and all of us got drunk and/or high, then we played spin the bottle."

“Spin the bottle? Really?”

“What's wrong with spin the bottle?”

"Nothing. Doesn't matter. So who did you kiss?"

Chandler just watched as Kaden was deciding whether or not he should kiss and tell. "You’ll find out in due time, bestie."

And well, he could just ask one of the other dancers. The train soon arrived at their stop and the two got off, traveling up several escalators and staircases before emerging into fresh air. "Why are there so many different levels of platforms?" Kaden complained. "Is it even safe to have trains that far underground?"

Chandler ignored him and rechecked the address that was already plugged into Google Maps. "That way." he said, waving towards where they should go and the two set off. Having done most of their talking on the train, the walk to James’ apartment was silent apart from double checking that they were entering the right apartment building. Then it was up an elevator, left down a hallway and a quick "this is it". Chan rested his shoulder against the wall as he opened WhatsApp, ready to message James to let him know they were here.

Kaden had other plans. After several short knocks, the other had enough of waiting and opened the door, ignoring Chan’s hands that shot out to try and grab hold of him. "¡Hola! ¡Tus bailarines favoritos de todos los tiempos están aquí!" he called, walking into the apartment as if he’d been here countless of times before.

Chandler stumbled into the apartment after Kaden, looking incredibly disgruntled. "Sorry about him," he apologized, closing the door behind him. "He apparently doesn’t know the concept of knocking and waiting for someone to open the door." He threw an angry look at the VP who had the audacity to wink and smirk at him.

"Channie here told me all about a bet that was made at the retreat, a bet that he lost," Kaden had crossed over to Chan and threw an arm over his shoulders. "And as a punishment, he has to dye his hair some 'mysterious color'," He paused to look at the roommates in front of him. "So, where’s the dye? What color is it?"































nights with you



MØ










♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:



james egidius pangan.





































  • mood



    hair dye time !
















Before James could make a quip back at the idea of more social debt from his roommate, their front door was wide open, and in came a familiar face. Two familiar faces.

“Kaden, wasn’t expecting you.”
His tone said otherwise. The apology, however, came as a pleasant surprise until James reminded himself that things were different. Admittedly, he still found it jarring how the two no longer bared the same hostility. James smiled at the gesture,
“Don’t worry about it, no one ever really waits to be let into the Pangan-Flint residence.”
The volleyball team sure as hell didn’t and if members of the dance team were going to be a regular appearance (an idea James still couldn’t tell if he liked or not), he didn’t expect them to either.

Almost by the mention of his surname, Zach let out a not-so-subtle cough.
“Right. This is Zach, he also lives here and will be telling us all about the colors we’ve got in stock, right buddy?”
The reaction he receives from the ginger solidifies his prior social debt. James made the mental note to pay for lunch. “Yeah—hi. Zach Flint, huge fan, watched a couple of your performances here and there.” Despite the sarcasm, James knew his roommate’s words held some sort of truth. The truth being that he used to revel in the reactions he got from the volleyball captain when he’d make stories about Elev8’s performances. “I don’t know how hard you want to go for this bet, but I’ve got blonde or green—please don’t ask why I thought green was a good idea.”

As much as the image of Chandler with the same scenekid green Zach sported during the dark times of their second year, he had a feeling which color the dancer would prefer.
“I assume you’d want to go blonde? Heard they have more fun.”
He wiggled his eyebrows in a way that got Zach muttering into his bowl of soggy Cheerios along the lines of, “Keep it in your pants casanova.” Words James politely decided he didn’t hear.

“We can take this to my room, I’ve got the better-looking facilities around here.”
He got up from his spot on the kitchen island, beckoning a hand.
“Kaden you can come with to supervise your president’s hair, but trust me, I’m a natural.”
With the number of teenage cousins he had, dyeing hair, painting nails, and any form of creative expression was basically muscle memory for James.

If it was obvious that James did some cleaning in preparation for Chandler’s arrival, he sure as hell didn’t admit it. A standard room for a university student living in London—though obviously the main bedroom in the apartment (he won the rock-paper-scissors game for it fair and square), a twin-size bed, built-in closet, study desk, and a door that lead to his bathroom. All decorated with a couple of knickknacks he found value in. Framed photographs of previously won championships, family pictures, hanging shelves that held his trophies and medals, a couple of posters of some shitty movies, and a handful of beanie babies from his mom.
“Make yourselves comfortable, Zach is getting his dyes from his secret stash.”


“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, heard from a couple of birdies that you guys won your competition—congrats.”
Those birdies being Ethan and Samesh surprisingly enough. The takeaway he got from what his team was willing to share post-retreat was that if it was possible for Chandler and James to get along, then their respective teams would be just fine. As it turned out, a good portion of his teammates kept up-to-date with them.
“Sam of all people cracked a smile when he told me the news, a little strange if you ask me.”


It didn’t take much small talk for Zach to return, dyeing materials awkwardly cradled in his hands. “Alright gents, this is all yours.”

































this charming man



the smiths










♡coded by uxie♡
 



chandler wu.





































  • mood



    hope i won't end up bald
















If they had paused to think about it, both Chandler and Kaden would have assumed James lived with Conrad or some other member of the volleyball team. Neither of them did stop to think about it, however, so the face of a stranger came as a surprise. Who was this? Thankfully that question was answered fairly quickly.

“Zach?” Kaden was the one to break the silence. “Never seen you before,” He would’ve pressed the subject further, but the comment about their performances caused him to abandon it and focus on dance. “Oh yeah?” The sarcasm wasn’t missed. “Which ones did you watch?”

Chandler knew how heated Kaden could turn trivial things like this into a heated matter, so he was quick to jump in and change the subject. “Green?” he questioned. He too had dyed his hair green once, but it was a dark, forest green and was only on the underside. He was about to reply, saying he’d prefer the blonde, when something registered in his mind. “Wait—I’ve got? This is your dye?” Then he turned to James. “You suggested this bet when you don’t even have your own dye?” Back to Zach. “When I agreed to this, I thought James had his own dye, I didn’t know it was yours. Now that I do, I don’t want to steal your dye from—”

“Ah ah, no getting out of this. I will personally buy our new friend Zach here more dye.” Leave it to Kaden to spoil his fun.

With a pointed glare towards his VP, he turned back to the others. Not sure what shade of green Zach had, he knew blonde was the safer option. “I don’t really feel like looking like an asparagus or highlighter, so I’ll go with blonde.”

“Heard they have more fun.”

Before he could reply to James’ comment about blondes, Kaden decided to take the initiative himself. “Yeah, and they also do it better.” A waggle of the brows followed the statement, a waggle that was interrupted by a loud yelp as Chandler punched him as hard as he could on the shoulder. “What was that for?”

Chandler ignored him.

“Your room?” Apparently Kaden decided his shoulder didn’t hurt all that much. He looked between Chandler, whose cheeks were starting to turn a rosy pink, over to James and then to Zach. “Okay.”

The two dancers silently followed behind the volleyball team captain. “You’re a natural?” Chan asked, raising a brow. “What colors have you dyed your hair?” When they entered the room, Kaden stayed in the doorway while Chandler immediately made a beeline for the bed and sat down. What? He was tired, plus James had said to make himself comfortable so he was doing just that.

". . . heard from a couple of birdies that you guys won your competition."

“Yeah, well, one of those birdies was definitely Willow,” Chandler mumbled through a yawn, ignoring the puzzled-yet-smug look Kaden was still giving him. “She was glued to her phone the entire competition. The second we got off stage, she was texting someone who I now know was your teammate. Sam, you say? Well, they met at the retreat. I saw them getting close at the bonfire.”

“Yeah, and they weren’t the only ones getting close then.”

Chan knew that comment was directed towards him and James, but he couldn’t resist capitalizing on this perfect opportunity to hound Kaden. “Feel like telling us which one of James’s teammates you made out with?” he asked. That shut Kaden right up. “Who were the birdies who told you about the competition? Besides Sam.” he asked James. There was a chance James knew who partook in the kiss Kaden refused to tell about. That, or if James relayed the names of the 'birdies', Chandler could figure out who it was. Probably with the help of Adrianna.

Then they were interrupted by Zach holding the blonde dye in his hand. With a sigh, Chandler stood from the bed and walked over, grabbing the small box. “Since my hair is currently my natural dark brown, I’m gonna need to bleach it in order for the blonde to show up,” he commented, staring at the box. “I’m a little particular about the roots, so how about I handle the bleaching and James, you can do the actual process of dyeing it blonde?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaden’s mouth drop open slightly in surprise. He understood why. A month ago, Chan would rather have swallowed hot coal than let James anywhere near his hair, and now he was letting the captain dye it? Positive progress.

“Wait—bleach?” Kaden questioned, faking a puzzled look. “Chan. . . you’re wearing a dark shirt. If the bleach or dye were to drip on it, won’t it be ruined?” Then he turned to James. “James, do you have a light-colored shirt that you don’t really care about potentially getting bleach or dye on that Chandler could wear for this?”































dancing in the kitchen



lany










♡coded by uxie♡
 
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