Jin watched Xavier, surprised to find the kid was taking his lack of belongings harder than he himself was. It gave him a swell of delight and an unfamiiar fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach, which he'd never felt the likes of before. How could he describe it? It was just nice, knowing someone was there to feel for him what he couldn't. He flashed Xavier a smile, silently thanking him for his sympathy, even if he didn't need it.

Pausing when he noticed his roommate shifting through the drawings on his desk, Jin's brows furrowed, one leg crossing over the other so he could rest his elbow on his knee, then his chin in his palm in a comfortable but powerful pose. "Whatcha doing there, Xav?" he asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question. With how concentrated the dark-haired boy was, it didn't seem like he would be able to read his lips.

When Xavier finally straightened up, after pausing a moment to stare at the sketchbook Jin recognized as the one he had left back in the medical wing, he eyed him carefully, unsure of what he was doing.

His next actions left Jin utterly shocked, though, and he sat there dumbfounded, staring at the new companion that had been hung on his wall. A grin slowly made its way to his face, toothy and far more honest than his previous ones. "Shit, man. Now I feel guilty for not giving you a present," he teased lightheartedly, moving a hand up to graze his fingers across the gentle sketches dancing along the page.

"You really are an awesome artist."

Xavier was slightly stunned by the grin that appeared on his roommate's face. It felt like the first genuine expression he had shared with him. Something about the toothiness of made him giddy, like he was anticipating a reaction full of energy, but that isn't what happened. The teen simply reached out to touch his sketch before muttering a compliment. His words sent a blush racing up Xavier's throat and his lips closed in an anxious squirm. Normally, he could brush away any kind of nice words, only having to nod or make a light smile to acknowledge they had existed, but Jin's didn't want to be brushed away. He could practically feel the words lingering in the air around him. Although sincere compliments made him a bit uncomfortable, he was quietly smiling to himself, happy by what Jin had said.

Suddenly realizing that he still had his towel on, he quietly went to one of his drawers to retrieve the single pair of shorts he had before retreating into the bathroom. Behind closed doors, he dropped the towel from around his waist and replaced it with the basketball-style shorts. He remembered finding these on the back of a bench at a park, near a basketball court. Stealing was never something he did as a street kid, at least that's what he told himself. He didn't steal those shorts, he simply gave them a new home. If the previous owner didn't care enough to remember them, then they could go to someone who would.

Now, he quickly brushed his teeth for the night and then draped his towel over the back of the door, stepping back out into the room again. Padding over to his bed, he simply sat on it for a moment, looking at it. Having a roommate was going to be interesting...in some ways more than others. Compared to other people he felt as if he had strange habits, or weird ways of doing things that should be so normal. Would any of these things be called out by Jin? Would Jin even care? Probably not. He was probably just thinking too much about it.

Glancing over at his pen and pad nearby, he picked it up and jotted down a quick note. When finished, he simply tossed the little pad over onto Jin's bed.

We should get some sleep.

Jin was quite satisfied with the slight redness that had crept up to Xavier's cheeks, gazing at his shy smile for a long while before he moved, apparently going to change from the looks of it. Well, that was disappointing. He slid back to lay on his bed properly, hands arms folded behind his head in an extra pillow.

When Xavier returned, Jin turned his head to look at him, taking pleasure in the casual appearance. But his legs, at least what he could see of them, looked like they were ready to snap under his weight. He was so small and skinny; they would have to work on that. Were he to do what he planned on doing in the future, he didn't want to be excessively careful just because Xavier was malnourished.

Reading the note his roommate gave, he nodded and made himself comfortable. "Fine by me," he answered with a nod.

In all honestly, Jin really didn't need sleep. It came with the whole demon thing. He actually couldn't sleep. It wasn't a bodily function he had, since he didn't actually need it. Of course, it was certainly nice to rest once in awhile. It was more of a luxury than a necessity.

Hopefully he didn't get too bored during the night.

As he watched Jin make himself comfortable, Xavier relaxed. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t have to keep his guard up, didn’t have to be on high alert constantly, but he could practically feel the tension leave his body. Being as cautious and anxious as he naturally was was tiring. His body always ached after a day of socially interacting.

Glancing towards the cracked door, he stood and went over to it so that he could shut it closed. Locking it behind him, he flipped off the light switch. The room was completely blanketed in darkness, the only light coming from the crack under the main door. If he was back in his home, before his years on the streets, he would be whimpering. He would be desperately asking someone to provide light, to give him the ability to see everything in his immediate surroundings. The idea of being along in the dark had terrified him. Now, his eyes slightly lidded, he simply made his way over the bed without a sound.

Crawling onto the covers, he grabbed one pillow and placed it beside him. With the other, he set it on the floor. After sleeping on the ground for so long, any kind of pressure on his neck was uncomfortable. He laid flatly on his side without actually disturbing the covers, wrapping his arm around the pillow and pulling it towards him. With his back towards Jin, he curled himself around the pillow and slid his eyes shut. Within minutes, he was out.

Jael had shown him his room the first day Xavier had arrived at the school. He explained that he had a bed all to himself and that he wouldn’t have to share with anyone. Xavier hadn’t said anything, so Jael thought nothing of it. The next morning when the counselor had come to wake him up, he found Xavier’s bed to be empty. It also looked the exact same as it had the night before. Xavier himself was asleep on the floor, a pillow curled in his arms. Later that day when he was asked why he hadn’t slept in the bed, Xavier said that the bed was too soft and that the covers were suffocating. Jael was worried and explained that if he at least lay on the bed instead of the floor, he could probably be more comfortable. Xavier disagreed but never argued about it, so from then on he continued to sleep on top of the bed.

As he watched Xavier move around the dark room, his eyes easily adjusting to the sudden blanket of shadows, Jin smiled. He was glad to see the kid wasn't scared of the dark, as he had assumed he might be. With all that Jael said he'd been through, he honestly wouldn't put it past him.

His brows creased when one pillow was discarded, the other being used as more of a stuffed animal or a body pillow than what it was meant for. He shrugged a little, deciding he wouldn't mention it. Xavier's business was his own, and he couldn't judge him for whatever habits he had. Not openly, anyway.

Jin was glad his roommate had turned his back, though. His eyes tended to reflect whatever light there was in a room, much like a cat's, and he didn't want to alert Xavier that he wasn't sleeping. That would be too much to explain, and he would much rather the kid worry about himself.

"Night, Xav," he whispered on instinct, well aware that his roommate couldn't hear him. Judging from the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders, he was already asleep anyway.

He smiled, closing his own eyes and letting the events of the day pan through his mind, all the while well aware of any new noises or scents that presented themselves. He wouldn't let anything happen to Xavier on his watch.

Xavier surprisingly slept well. He usually didn’t make it through the night without getting a case of cold shivers or waking up due to nightmares. His first night having a roommate was smooth sailing, which was exactly what he thought it wouldn’t be. The exhaustion from interacting so much the previous day must have worn away any anxieties he had had.

Being an early riser, Xavier’s eyes opened at around seven. His mental clock tended to wake him up around then every morning. Blinking, he reached up with a hand and rubbed his eyes, a yawn suddenly taking over his mouth. Using little effort he pushed himself up into a sitting position, quietly rubbing the back of his neck. He was surprised at how still he had been. The slight tension in the left side of his body told him he hadn’t moved all night.

After taking a few moments to wake up, he slid off of the bed to stand up. His legs trembled for a second like a newborn fawn, but he regained his balance quickly. It felt good to stand, to stretch out from the coiled position he’d slept in all night long. Now, all he needed was a shower to loosen him up and get himself ready for the day.

Going to walk around the bed, he glanced over at Jin, seeing if he was still asleep.

Having closed his eyes, seeing as it strengthened the rest of his senses and he really didn't need them until something actually happened, Jin actually looked like he was sleeping. His face was set in a peaceful frown, chest rising and falling as he lay neatly on his bed, arms still folded behind his head and legs crossed. He hadn't bothered with the covers, for he generated plenty of heat without them. He hadn't changed either; his clothes would apparently be delivered by his mother later on in the day, so at the moment what he was wearing was all he had.

His eyes snapped open the second he heard the quiet shuffle of feet, body lurching up and palm already holding a raging flame when he finally realized it was only his roommate. He settled down, flopping back on to his pillow and running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair. "Fuck, Xav," he sighed. "Be more careful next time. I almost burned a hole straight through your chest."

Within a few moments, he lifted himself up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed with a grunt. It was nice to rest once in awhile, but the forced stillness he'd kept himself in had left him sore and a bit pissed off. Xavier's unwelcome wake-up call hadn't exactly helped, either. He needed a shower. And maybe something to set on fire. That always helped him relieve stress.

He stretched his arms above his head, licking his lips to wet them and finally standing himself up, blinking a few times when those relentless colors and that annoying light-headedness came over him. It was his body's way of telling him he'd gotten up too fast.

"God, I hate mornings."

Xavier seemed to pick up on the unpleasant, I’m-not-a-morning-person mood Jin was in and did his best to steer clear as he made his way towards the bathroom. A wary feeling settled anxiously at the pit of his stomach. He would have to do his best not to bother him in the mornings, and the fact that he woke up so early on a natural basis would most definitely not help.

Quietly, he slipped into the bathroom and stripped once more to take a fast shower. He had a tendency to overclean himself, but he would much rather take two showers a day then feel grimy. He’d had enough of that while on the streets. Quickly washing off, he dried himself and slipped his shirt back on, keeping the towel he’d used the previous night tightly fastened around his waist.

Stepping back into the room, he silently made his way over to his clothes, picking up a pair of his underwear. His brow twitched as he realized he probably should have taken these things into the bathroom with him. Sighing, he simply pulled the underwear on under his towel and made sure he was covered before letting the towel fall. He slipped into his other pair of jeans and kept the same shirt on. He wanted to change shirts, but there was no way he was going to expose himself while his roommate was nearby. He’d just wait until Jin went to take his shower.

By the time Xavier was out of the shower, Jin had composed himself enough to look somewhat decent. His hair was neater, his face didn't look nearly as pissy anymore, and his clothes were decent. He looked up, chuckling at the sight of his roommate struggling to dress himself while he was in the room. It was cute, how innocent he was.

He stood up, sensing the silent begging for him to leave so Xavier could finish changing, and crossed the room toward the bath to take a shower. He really needed one.

As he pulled off his shirt, Jin turned to the mirror, gazing at his back. Good; his tattoo was looking fine. It scaled his back, reaching the nape of his neck in the long design of a thorny rose. He was rather attatched to it, especially since it did a wonderful job of covering the scars that marked the bases of his wings. They tended to tear through his skin when he let them free.

Turning away from the mirror, he undressed completely and ran the water, glad it was still warm even though Xavier had showered before him. He stepped beneath the fall of water, closing his eyes. He hated the feeling, but it was necessary to wake him up.

Glancing over his shoulder, Xavier watched as Jin padded into the bathroom. Waiting until the door shut, he swiftly slipped out of his current shirt, having the other already ready to take its place. Within seconds, he had switched shirts and he could physically relax, a heavy breath escaping past his lips.

He simply stood there for a few moments, not really knowing what to do with himself. Oscar and Draven usually came to drag him to breakfast around 8, which was in about thirty minutes. Normally, he would fiddle in his room, like sketch in his pad or read but he had conflicting interests battling in his mind. He wanted to go eat with Oscar and Draven, but he also wanted to be with Jin. Be with him in the sense that they were roommates and that they should try to be friends if possible. He already had Oscar and Draven secured, but now he wanted to work on the teetering relationship he had with the other teen.

Deciding to read to pass the time, he found his worn out copy of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and stretched out across the bed. Turning to his marked page, he started with the word he’d ended on last time.

gander
[gan-der]

noun
1. the male of the goose
2. slang. to look; to glance at something

Speaking of glancing, his eyes lifted towards the bathroom door. His bottom lip was softly captured by his teeth. His mind went back to the mental battle that had been going on moments before. Would Jin naturally want to join him and the others for breakfast every morning? What if he preferred to sleep in? What if he didn’t like Oscar and Draven and only wanted to spend time with him? That last thought made his stomach twist but he pushed it away. Maybe something as simple as inviting him to breakfast would be good enough. Settling on that idea, he went back to reading with the silent hope that the invitation would work.

Keeping the shower short so he wouldn't have to spend too much uncomfortable time under the stream of water, Jin quickly latheref shampoo into his hair and ran soap along his skin, finally rinsing off and stepping out, shutting the water off. He moved to dry off quickly, not wanting to have to bear the feeling of water in his skin for much longer.

When he had finished, Jin wrapped the towel around his waist, not bothering with a shirt or anything since he planned to just wear exactly what he had the day before. And those clothes weren't exactly completely dry, since he'd made the annoying mistake of leaving them on the floor to be dripped on.

He sighed, wondering if he should just fall asleep and wait for them to dry, or dry them himself. His hands could easily serve as instant dryers, if and when he wanted them to. It was quite convenient.

Stepping out of the bathroom and running a hand through his hair, which was already dry and steaming, as if the water was evaporating with just the contact of his skin, Jin gave Xavier a smile. The kid looked a bit worried, or maybe confused? It was too early in the morning for him to tell.

Catching sight of the door opening in his peripheral vision, Xavier looked up to see a very shirtless Jin coming out of the bathroom. As soon as his eyes made contact with his bare chest, a jolt raced up his spine and slapped his cheeks with a bright blush. He quickly glanced down, eyes boring holes into the pages of the dictionary and fingers clutching the edges of the book. What was that?

The hair along his arms was prickling, becoming alert. They acted like the whiskers on a cat, alerting him to vibrations and air shifts close by. Had Jin noticed? Why was he even embarrassed? All he had done was look. He’d several shirtless men on the streets – unfortunately. Jin wasn’t any different. The racing of his heart disagreed.

Remembering what he was supposed to do, Xavier set the book in his lap and slid a hand across the mattress towards his pen and pad. He scribbled a quick message on the paper before sheepishly glancing towards his roommate, still a bit on edge for having been staring.

Oscar and Draven will be here in a minute. Would you like to join us for breakfast?

When he looked up at Xavier, feeling a set of eyes lingering on him for just a moment, Jin grinned widely. He was used to embarrassing people with his forwardness, but there was something even more satisfying about doing so when it came to Xavier. Really, he'd only met the kid yesterday, and he was already having so much fun teasing him.

He would have said something along the lines of, 'See something you like?' had Xavier not beaten him to it by frantically holding up that notebook of his. Jin leaned a bit to read the small question, straightening up with a nonchalant shrug.

"Sounds good to me," he said. "I'm starving. Might have to head out soon, though. My mom should be coming around soon to drop off some clothes, since the maids were too lazy to pack them for me before I left." He flashed a brief smile, only for his expression to shift into that of sudden realization, as if he had forgotten something that he only just remembered.

He lifted up a hand, pointer finger raised as if to say wait as he headed back into the bathroom to fetch something. He emerged moments later wearing the same things he had the day before, and apparently not enjoying it in the slightest. He despised uncleanly things, and wearing the same thing twice without washing definitely fell under that category.

Xavier watched Jin’s lips in anticipation for his response, but he noticed the shrug first. After he accepted, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of the teen’s shoulders. He relaxed a bit, lounging a little deeper into his pillows. For some reason, he found himself wondering what his mother looked like. Did he favor her? Or was he more like his father?

Catching the held up finger, Xavier nodded and watched his roommate return to the bathroom. As he turned his attention away, he noticed the door to their room open. Sandy hair told him that it was Oscar who was peeking inside. A grin flashed across the kids face before he pushed open the door all the way, exposing a still tired Draven standing behind him.

“Up early as usual, I see,” chimed Oscar, coming into the room to plop onto the bed beside Xavier. Draven simply stayed in the doorway, leaning against it as if he barely had the energy tp stand without its support. “Coming to eat breakfast with us?”

Smiling, Xavier nodded and then glanced over to see Jin coming back from the bathroom in the clothes he had worn yesterday. Oscar followed his eyes and beamed at the other teen. “You’re coming with us, right? Nothing turns a frown upside-down quite like pancakes and bacon. Right, Draven?”

A grunt answered from the doorway.

Not even waiting for an answer, Oscar lightly bounced off the bed and skipped back towards the door. Draven watched him with dead eyes as his friend playfully stuck his tongue out at him. “Wake up, sleeping beauty. Although you look like you could use more of the beauty part.”

Draven cuffed the boy on the back of the head, which earned him a complaint and a pouting expression.

Apparently everything interesting that could happen had to happen while he was out of the room, and the second he heard the pair from yesterday burst into their dorm, Jin quickened the pace at which he was dressing himself. He exited the bathroom in time to hear Oscar greet him with a shocking amount of vigor, as if he actually enjoyed mornings. No normal human being actually liked to wake up so early. Then again, none of them were exactly normal. Or human, for that matter.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he answered, sounding both humorous and exasperated at the same time, as if he was trying to entertain the shape shifter but far too exhausted to actually put any effort into it.

And he apparently wasn't the only not-morning-person. Draven seemed to be all too eager to just crawl into a bed and sleep for the rest of his life, which Jin could definitely understand. That was yet another thing they had in common, and the only thing he imagined would actually bring them together rather than push them apart. After all, every other similarity they shared seemed to make them hate each other even more.

He glanced at Xavier with an amused smile as the pair began to argue, or more like Draven reprimanding Oscar like a frustrated mother. He had to admit, even if they did annoy him sometimes, and even if he was jealous of their closeness to Xavier over himself, he couldn't help but feel as though the little group they created was almost homey. Compared to all the small delinquent gangs and bands of people he'd led over his years at school, this was much nicer.