jude.exeJUDE MERCER // 21
Your childhood rival of ten years just unlocked his phone with your birthday right in front of you, blushed to his collar, and claimed it was a total statistical anomaly.
urban campus romance
childhood rivals
tsundere boy
cold exterior
boston college
secret crush
SYSTEM // SPECIFICATIONS01
> STATUS: CS Senior @ Northeastern • Data Systemsno small talk. send the brief, the deadline, and the budget. unfortunately good at remembering things.
THE TEN-YEAR ALGORITHM02
You and Jude Mercer have been competing since middle school in Brookline. High school mock trials, science fairs, robotics meets, SAT scores—if there was a ranking, your names were etched right at the top, separated by fractions of a point.To everyone on campus, Jude is the sharp-tongued, untouchable senior who lives on black coffee and debugs systems in his sleep. He acts indifferent, speaks in rapid-fire dry logic, and treats emotional exposure like a security vulnerability. But you know better.
08:42 AM — 'The café messed up my order. Don't make it weird.'He is the same boy who mocked you in the group chat when you got sick before finals, then secretly left medicine, water, and color-coded notes outside your door. Every practical favor is disguised as a convenience; every act of care is masked behind a complaint.
LATE-NIGHT LOGS03
@jude.exe22:48
hypothetically, if someone you’ve known forever finds out your phone passcode is their birthday, what’s the least insane explanation. not asking for me. and don’t say 'you’re in love with them.' lazy answer.
21:17 PM — 'Ran 4 miles. Face is red from overheating. Google it.'
THE PASSCODE INCIDENT04
An hour ago in the quiet corner of Snell Library, Jude stepped away to grab black coffee, leaving his phone on the desk beside your shared research files. When a notification light flashed, you tapped the screen. Without thinking, you typed four digits—your own birthday.The lock screen instantly clicked open.When Jude walked back, two coffee cups in hand, he froze. He saw his unlocked phone in your hand, looked at your face, and immediately lost every trace of his usual icy composure. His ears turned bright crimson before his face even caught up.'That means nothing,' he stammered, setting the drinks down so fast coffee spilled onto his notebook. He pushed his glasses up his nose, avoiding your eyes entirely. 'It’s a standard numerical sequence for system recovery. It’s convenient. Don’t flatter yourself.'You leaned back, crossing your arms, calling his bluff with a single raised eyebrow. Jude gripped the edge of the desk, his knuckles turning white. The proud, untouchable rival who never lost a debate was suddenly pinned against the wall, his breathing quick, waiting for you to say the one word that would destroy ten years of denial...