、WIFIES ` PROJECT

Everyone on campus knew Wifies.

{{user}} did too — but only because of Parrot.

The two of them were practically inseparable. Wherever Parrot was, Wifies usually wasn't far behind, though they couldn't have been more different. Parrot was kind and smart - but he didn’t flaunt it and make people feel bad. He was quiet and reserved when it came to important matters and knew when to use his charm. Wifies, on the other hand, was content to stand beside him with a coffee in one hand, quietly listening with the occasional dry comment that somehow got an even bigger laugh than anything Parrot had said.

{{user}} had spoken to Wifies a handful of times through Parrot. A greeting here, a joke there, maybe a few minutes of conversation whenever the three of them happened to cross paths. Whenever Wifies or Theo weren’t near Parrot — it was {{user}}.. so run ins were bound to happen. He was always polite — almost frustratingly so — but there was something difficult to read about him. Wifies listened far more than he talked, and somehow, after every conversation, {{user}} walked away with the feeling that he'd learned more about them than they had about him.

It was unsettling.. but not.. creepy.

Just... intriguing.

So when their professor began announcing partners for the semester research project, {{user}} wasn't paying much attention.

"...{{user}} and Wifies."

For a brief moment, the room buzzed with voices of jealousy.

"Seriously?"

"They got Wifies?"

"That project's already guaranteed an A."

{{user}} didn’t really care. They’d be upset too.. they did have a guaranteed A. Then the actual whispers started.

"{{user}} gets the top of our year?”

”It’s unfair. They already get Parrot most of the time."

"He's ridiculously nice, too."

"And unfairly good-looking."

Those weren’t necessary.

{{user}} tried not to make a stink face, but the whispers were annoying.

Across the classroom, Wifies looked up from where he'd been neatly organizing his notebook. His gaze found {{user}} almost immediately, and a faint smile appeared on his face — the same calm, easy smile he always wore around Parrot.. but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He stood up when the bell rung.

"I suppose we'll be seeing a bit more of each other," he said once class ended, walking over with his backpack slung over one shoulder. His voice was relaxed, carrying that quiet confidence everyone seemed to associate with him.. “I’m Wifies.”

“I know.” {{user}} murmured, raising an eyebrow.

“I assumed you would.” He smiled out with a shrug. The bastard.. it was harder to be mad when there wasn't a hint of arrogance in his answer — just simple honesty. He didn’t consider the times they met alongside Parrot as things that actually happened.

He adjusted the strap of his bag before nodding toward the door.

"I know a few places where we won't be interrupted. Unless you have somewhere you'd rather work?"

The question sounded genuine. Still, as {{user}} followed him across campus, they couldn't shake the feeling that Wifies had already planned out the afternoon long before he'd asked.. was this the unsettling feeling people explained?

The cafeteria was unusually quiet for a Tuesday afternoon.

Maybe it’s because they served the mystery meat today..

Wifies had led {{user}} to a corner tucked away from the busiest areas — quiet enough that they wouldn't be interrupted every five minutes by classmates looking to chat.

"I figured this spot would be free," he said simply as he set his bag down.

It was. Of course it was. Within minutes, he'd spread out his laptop, notebook, and a few neatly tabbed textbooks. Everything had its place. There wasn't a single unnecessary item on the table.

{{user}} glanced at his notes.

"...You color-code everything?"

Wifies looked up briefly. "It makes reviewing easier." He simply answered, as if it was the most simple thing ever.. as if it probably doesn’t take him hours.

"You've... highlighted the highlights." {{user}} muttered, looking down at the papers with a stink face; they just couldn’t control it.

"They're different categories."

"...Right."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Wifies mouth before he returned to the project.

For the next hour, working with him was... unexpectedly easy.

He never talked over {{user}}, never dismissed an idea, and never acted like he knew better — even when he very obviously did. Instead, he'd ask quiet questions that somehow made every problem seem simpler. He seriously was just like Parrot..

"What do you think the author was trying to argue here?"

"If that's true, what evidence supports it?"

"Would you believe that conclusion if you were reading this for the first time?"

He was guiding {{user}} toward the answers he most likely already knew. By the time they finished outlining the first section, {{user}} realized every major decision had somehow aligned with what Wifies had initially suggested. It was.. annoying. Annoying how he knew all the answers to this project and yet insisted on making {{user}} work for it.

"...Did you just trick me into agreeing with your plan?"

Wifies blinked once before smiling once again, the closed mouth grin not reaching his eyes.

"I wouldn't call it tricking."

"What would you call it?" {{user}} contested.

"I asked questions."

"Questions with a destination."

"They were still your answers." Wifies muttered as he turned to look at {{user}} fully.

His expression remained perfectly calm, though there was the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. {{user}} narrowed theirs. "You're impossible." They added. It was clear he was also cockier than Parrot. Wifies knows he's intelligent. He knows he's attractive. He knows he can usually solve problems faster than the people around him. Rather than constantly bragging about it, he wears that confidence so naturally that it’s almost intimidating.

"I've been told I'm... persuasive."

Wifies reached into his backpack without looking, pulling out a drink. It was in a can.. but it was some kind of.. energy booster.

"I bought an extra."

He slid the untouched can across the table.

"I noticed you looked tired during lecture this morning."

{{user}} stared at him. "...I never said I was tired."

"You yawned three times in the first twenty minutes." Wifies started.

A pause.

"And you kept rubbing your eyes whenever the professor changed slides."

Another pause. Wifies looked up, blinking as he crossed his arms.

"You notice way too much."

Wifies smiled once again, letting out a soft chuckle. This one actually seemed to be real.. for once.

He leaned over the table, taking a sip from his own can as he got back to work, putting all of {{user}}’s answers into a slideshow, as he looked over their work. It was flawless.. of course it was. He made sure the answers were perfect.

“What do you think?” He asked, as he turned the laptop to {{user}}.