Archive of Our Own ^beta

Linking Arms

Gesture: Hooking arms with another person.

Can Be Interpreted As: Support, Unity, Safety, Affection, Physical Connection, or a Simple Gesture for Commuting.

~

Jabari wasn't the biggest guy when being grouped with random people and forced to speak. However, he was all ears—and arms—when it came to one singular girl. When they first met in front of New Edyn Academy, the girl introduced herself as September Ingram—the healthiest student on campus (right after some Liam kid tried to beat Jabari's ass). She was known for being a plant head too, using her hands to maintain the school's garden whenever she wasn't knee-deep in work.

"Great, we're all acquainted. So if you two silverbacks are done beating your chests, let's get out of this rain. I didn't press my hair this morning for nothing anyway."

September delightedly linked arms with Jabari, causing surprise to spread across his facial features while Liam looked at them with a blank face (as usual). She made a silly face at the other student before Jabari started talking.

"Oops, gotcha girl—"

A quick cut-off from September, "First day and already starting some trouble, J. Save some of that for the rest of the week, champ."

— — — — — —

A Month Later
~

Jabari's been enjoying his hectic stay at New Edyn Academy so far, only running into minor hiccups like not having enough free time or no food in his dorm fridge—oh, he hadn't eaten in a day. Forgot to mention, but he's been so caught up in homework and training that his body is lacking some well-needed energy in the form of food. And Jabari didn't want to feed himself anything unhealthy like instant noodles or convenience store snacks, so he decided to text the one girl he knew that could cook her ass off.

"sep, can you swing by rq"

"why (´･ω･`)?"

"bcuz i need somebody who can cook sumn healthy"

"...gimme ten minutes and i'll be there" "currently organizing my desk ＞︿＜"

After fifteen minutes, Jabari's dorm door slightly shook with the force of September's knock. He grabbed the door to be greeted by the girl herself, who was carrying two bags of groceries.

"Took ya long enough."

"Hey, I had to wipe down everything on my desk!"

September giggled while coming inside with her belongings, noticing the cluttered yet cozy atmosphere Jabari brought to this once-bare dorm room. He had comics in some bookshelves, a whole shoe collection, and more trinkets in other places; a major representation of the boy himself. But anyway, September set her groceries down on Jabari's small kitchen counter and washed her hands after taking her coat and shoes off.

"You came with groceries?"

"Well, of course, Jabari. It seems like you haven't gone grocery shopping in god knows how long. But what's for tonight's dinner? You said you wanted something healthy, right?"

"Mhm."

September crossed her arms, "Well...do you have any suggestions?"

"Beef stew. Make a batch and I'll be good for about a week, honestly."

"You want a pot of beef stew? Do you know how long it takes for that to cook?!"

Jabari sheepish smiled while rubbing the back of his neck, "...Yeah."

"Then you're pitching in and helping me. There's no way I can do it by myself after all."

Jabari rolled his eyes with a smile, "Fine, Sep."

"And I'm expecting fifteen dollars for providing my handy services to you."

"WAIT—"

"Let's get started!"

Before Jabari could finish the sentence September cut from him, he felt his body being pushed toward the kitchen sink. Oh, poor him.

— — — — — —

Hours pass, and the stew's being brought to a boil finally. September tossed the rest of some diced vegetables into the pot while Jabari slowly stirred a plastic spoon, lowkey feeling a strain in his arm from how long he's been stirring that damn pot.

September turned the stove eye off, "Taste test!"

Jabari stretched his stirring arm out before giving a spoonful of stew to September and seeing her gleeful reaction to the savory taste, "So...is it delicious?"

"It's more than that, Jabari. It's...deliciously perfect!"

They shared a few laughs before grabbing bowls and scooping some beef stew into their bowls. September covered the simmering pot with a lid before sitting next to Jabari on the couch and digging into her portion.

"What else can you cook?"

September paused mid-spoonful, "I can make bomb sandwiches, good soups, and really stellar smoothies. I can probably make some more stuff but those are the three most common things I make within a few weeks."

"A smoothie sounds real good right now, Sep."

She chuckled while leaning against Jabari's shoulder, "I'll see if I can make one just for you, J."