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Isolated from the rest of the city, somewhere in the upper east side, where buildings get higher and higher and don’t stop getting higher, the story unfolds. Born to two weapons engineers working for Lockheed Marlin, Villager never felt the stress and passion of the lower cities. His humble abode laid high in the sky, in a highrise lofty with privilege.
Usually, beavers are morning creatures that rose with the sun. On a typical Monday morning, you could usually find him next to his windows, watering his flowers and caring for his various vegetables, with headphones while still in his pajamas. But today, he was a bit sleepier than usual.
His door squeaked, as it quietly opened.
“Good morning!” Villa’s mom, his perfect guardian angel, came knocking on his door. She was his bastion of hope that he could always rely on for everything, “It’s 7:30!”
Nothing, Villa was curled into a ball on his bed, still drowsy and desperately craving more sleep.
She came in, then immediately turned on the lights, “College…College! It’s time for college!”
Villa groaned, forcefully pushing himself up. He’s been working his ass off for the past few years, and college was the culmination of all his blood and sweat. College was his ticket to freedom, ticket to independence. All and all, he was thrilled about today, not quite as thrilled about parting ways with his comfy bed though.
She sat on his bed, then grabbed her son’s legs, giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Did you go to bed late again?”
Villa abstained from answering the question, knowing that he stared at his computer until four in the morning, hopping island to island in Hypixel bedwars. Instead, he mumbled quietly.
“Give me five minutes…I’ll be out…”
She smiled, then patted her son before sitting up. “I’ll be waiting at the breakfast table.”
The next few moments were a blur, he threw on a tight fitting pair of black jeans, while uncomfortably trying to fit his tail through the hole above his ass. Then, he threw on a nice brown sweater, perfect for autumn in the city. He looked just business casual enough for his parents to approve and had just enough cottagecore faggotry to look, as he perceived it, cute and gay. Before he knew it, he was out of his room and munching on a bowl of raisin cereal, scrolling through his phone.
“Put down that damn phone,” Villa’s father stepped into the dining room, he was, to put it simply, built like a tree, or a lumberjack, for that matter. He was the polar opposite of Villa, who was built like a twig. “Last day before you disappear into your school, talk to your folks.”
He sat down, throwing his burly arms onto the dinner table with a smile. Villa didn’t see his dad all that much recently, since he was out working on the dam 40 miles below city lines, doin important business as the big cheese of some brand new project. “Growing up fast, huh?”
Villa smiled back, putting another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He loved his parents, dearly, but they do end up being overprotective and overbearing sometimes.
He needed his time away from them.
“You won’t ever have to worry about my grades anymore,” Villa giggled, “You are finally free old man.”
“Better not fall behind in college, or I’ll be hearing about it.” He took a swig from his mug, “Let me remind you again, don’t wander off too far from campus…If there’s one thing you need to hear from me, it’s that. I hope you’ve seen the news stories of people, curious little herbivores like you wandering too deep into the east side of town-”
“I’ll be fine,” Villa said, “Stop, I’m not, not 9 years old anymore. I’ll know it when I see it, I won’t get into any trouble…”
“Too late when you see it sweetie,” Villa’s mom shook her head, “How about~ we don’t even entertain the opportunity for you to get hurt. You’ll have so many friends at school, there’s no point of ever leaving your campus.”
“Okay, okay…No wandering off, got it,” Villa smiled, as lovely as they all are, he really wished they didn’t hover around like helicopters around him…Obviously he had to get off his campus, how else was he going to meet anyone…ever? Or have any fun that normal college kids have? Normalcy. Obviously, that was what he needed. He needed to be normal.
From the tallest of towers he watched as the world flew by fast, time endured so long yet he never got a taste of life outside of his sanctuary. Courtesy of his privilege and the nature of his parents’ desire to control every bit of his life, he never really got a taste of real life, and real freedom.
This was it, this was what he always wanted, this was his opportunity to soar beyond the familiar plain around him, to get out of his comfort zone and check out the world.
The ride to his campus was loud, and bright with laughter and music from his hometown. After driving east for a while, towering buildings were replaced with light forests, then came the mightiest grass field, trimmed to perfection.
There it was, in the distance, even mightier towers stood. From brutalist to art deco, everything in Villa’s sight intimidated him and dripped of extreme privilege. The front gates, ornate with golden roses and tulips, crafted with red bricks and embellished with ivy, might as well have the words “I am rich and my daddy is even richer” carved on it. The thought of knowing that this was going to be his life for the next 4 years terrified Villager a little.
Yup, that’s it. That’s the sign he needed, he knew he needed to get off campus every once in a while, to see some folks outside of walls crafted with golden roses and tulips, to see some folks outside of his bubble of golden rose-tinted privilege.
Despite this initial reaction, he was grateful, no doubt, to have a family well off enough to bankroll him to a prestigious college with an even more prestigious price tag. Now, the best way to show how grateful he was to be born into privilege was to succeed academically.
In all of his life, he hasn’t been too shabby in terms of being academically capable. It’s actually just, everything else, that he’s failed at doing. For example: Being social…he is antisocial and prefers to befriend plants instead of people, or…being not gay. It wasn’t like his parents weren’t supportive, he knows they are always trying their best, but deep in his heart he knows that they desperately hope their son’s “phase” would end.
Too bad, too sad, now that he’s free, he can do whatever the fuck he wanted. Villa opened the car door and grabbed his two suitcases, then, he went to the car trunk and unloaded all 11 different pots of plants onto a push cart.
“Are you sure your roommates won’t make fun of you for, all of this-” Villa’s dad commented as he unloaded his plants one by one.
“What else am I supposed to do,” he stood up straight after unloading everything, “You guys are always away for work at the same time…Can’t just let them die?”
…
“Also, if my roommate, presumably a fully grown adult, makes fun of me for owning some plants, I really think it’s their problem and not mine.” Villa begins to push the cart forward.
“I’ll be fine, okay?”