Chapter Text
pran was average. he tried to be, at least. something about going around, unnoticeable made him feel at peace. nobody ever bothered to talk to him. nobody ever cared. he felt like a ghost. invulnerable. his parents encouraged him to keep it that way. they seemed to think that nobody would understand him. that he would eventually get bullied. that he would get hurt. apparently, high schoolers were ruthless. he was supposed to prioritize his grades. it never fully made sense but pran still obliged, eager to keep his mother pleased. she cared for him. loved him. he followed all the rules till college where he finally met people. and nobody cared that he avoided eye contact at all costs. they didn't mention how hard it was for him to collect his thoughts sometimes, awkwardly stumbling over his words. he was accepted. even with friends, he still felt most harmonious on his own, silently roaming between classes and avoiding prying eyes.
college was easy most of the time.
not so much in the mornings, though.
pran's been watching the news uninterested. it was just to keep his eyes busy, while he finished his breakfast. inflation. politicians fighting over basic human rights. a dead boy around his age that has been found a few weeks ago was now identified. they even showed his picture but before pran could take a good look, he heard his phone ringing from another room. quite an unusual occurrence. when he finally got to his bedroom, he found the device turned off with no new notifications or missed calls. the news already finished, a familiar jingle signalling the beginning of the weather podcast. something he usually got to watch only on the weekends, when he didn't have to worry about schedules. pran didn't have time to think about the boy or the unexplained ringing. he rushed to the door. being late was not an option.
he closed the door with a loud thump and started fumbling with the keys. there were only two on the chain, accompanied by a small bear mascot he found in the cereal box. they were so different, there was no way getting them confused. yet, here he was. the key didn't even budge in the lock. he tried again with much more force.
"trouble with the door lock, huh?" pran spun around surprised. he hasn't heard any footsteps, no doors opening, nothing. but surely, a man was standing in front of him. solid, steady figure waiting for pran to answer. pran must have completely lost contact with the world when he realized he was short on time.
"no, no. it's okay." he waved his hand dismissively, staring at a space behind the man. he was wearing a black tank top and looking at the exposed skin would not make it any better. "i'm fine. it's fine."
"i went through this too." the stranger had a bright voice, reminiscent of a sunny day at the beach, sand under the feet and an after taste of salt lingering on the tongue. it brought back unfamiliar memories. "you just need to push the door a little bit as you do it."
"as i said, i'm fine."
unfortunately, the stupid trick had worked and pran had to speed through the corridor to hide his uneasiness. he did not look back. when he got to the elevator, he felt utterly abandoned as if he was running from nobody. the stranger was a ninja in disguise, for sure.
pran barely made it to class. just barely. louis and safe, his friends, were waiting for him, ready to complain about some assignments they had to do last minute. maybe it could still be an average day. he tried to make it average. he did all the things he usually did. laughed at a joke that louis has said a million times before. (it was not funny the first time and it wasn't getting better.) ate lunch and got scolded by wai for leaving most of it untouched. skimmed through hallways with eyes glued to the floor. his brain didn't want to cooperate, though, bringing back images of ripped arms and sunny voice from before.
~`~
pran's dorm room was a safe space. it was quiet, organised in such a way he could always find peace of mind within its walls. he barged in, dropping his bag as soon as the door closed behind him. at the end of the classes, he was reminded of the model he was supposed to turn in at the end of the week. the materials he bought for it were waiting for him at the kitchen table. he has completely forgotten about them, engrossed in an occurrence from a week ago. that stupid stranger was living rent-free in his head, and they didn't even talk. he just made a suggestion and pran ran away.
now that he was home, he hoped he could just chill and start working before it was too late. his sleeping schedule already was a nightmare. he would have been passing out from exhaustion daily if it wasn't for energy drinks and cheap, black coffee. now that he still had some energy left, he went straight up to the kitchen, sitting on the only cushioned chair. having a sore ass was a big no-no.
pran already had it all designed, all left was to bring his ideas alive. time passed, pran's favourite playlist playing in the background made him oblivious to the passage of time. his work was something he was easily lost in. mind speeding through the ideas, hands moving on their own like they were made to create. it was a captivating process. he was unwillingly brought back to earth by louder tunes. they were unrecognizable, muffled by thick walls but still made the architect drop his tools on the table in utter confusion. it was almost midnight. music didn't stop. now that he was aware of it, he couldn't just ignore it.
he waited.
five minutes. music got quieter, almost non-existent but its place took a loud laugh. then another. and another. as if mocking pran. stupid pran expecting peace at night, so dumb.
ten minutes. he heard heavy footsteps outside his door. people passing by his room, annoying pran even more. and he couldn't stand it anymore. he got up slowly, dreading the confrontation. with each step, the hustle outside his room seemed to vanish. by the time he reached the door, he was not expecting to see anyone. that would be ideal.
"oh, you're still up?" shit.
"no." pran felt dumbfounded. he expected so much, anything but the glow that hit his eyes when the guy smiled at him. "i mean, yes. i was... someone was... party. there was a party."
"and you didn't even invite me?" the stranger laughed, white, pearly teeth showing. a beautiful smile, indeed. he shook his head in disbelief, never losing the mischievous expression. it made pran want to see if his eyes were also so expressive. "not cool, my friend. not cool."
"what?! no, it's not like that." pran leaned against his door. maybe it was the fatigue, maybe the luminous silhouette in front of him but he had no idea what was going on. "someone else was partying here. didn't you just pass them?"
"nope, nobody. it's just the two of us. " the guy just shrugged his shoulders, making no effort to hide his amusement. "i never caught your name."
"i don't think that's necessary." pran shifted uncomfortably under the gaze that never stopped following his movements.
"i'm pat." pat. it suit him, it felt right, expected. pat was smiling once again, this time more encouraging than anything. sweet. pran prefered looking at his pecks than his smile, it was safer. "now's your turn, don't leave me hanging." pran just stared, contemplating his options. "are you scared?"
scared? the architect spun around, retreating to his room. scared, his ass. stupid pat with his stupid tank tops and ugly smile.
"it's pran."
and the door closed behind him. it was louder than he intended, more abrupt. even with all the noise, he heard pat's bubbly laugh.
"see you around, pran!"
~`~
he was in the cafeteria with wai when he saw him for the third time. the door guy. pat. he was pacing around the tables, visibly confused. his skin seemed almost grey in the white, cool light. so different from the warmth surrounding him the other day. pran wasn't going to stare, really, but something about pat was just so striking. weirdly enough, nobody else seemed to pay him any mind. maybe it was a usual occurrence, something no longer worth any attention. pran was never the one to look around, especially not when his friends kept him plenty busy so seeing pat so hectic was eye-catching. the way he circled around like a lost puppy was endearing.
"what are you looking at?" wai asked, snapping pran out of his trance. the architect shook his head, bringing his attention back to their table.
"nothing in particular."
"you're lying." wai pointed out. he always knew. he always saw through whatever facade people chose to put up, noticed all the lies. maybe he would make a better detective than a psychologist.
"perhaps." pran admitted and started playing with an apple he brought for lunch, acting nonchalant. it was still perfectly untouched. something about it seemed off to pran. maybe it was poisoned, it must have been.
"if you don't eat that damned fruit, i will."
pran ate the apple, not willing to let wai suffer in case his predictions were correct. pat was already gone by the time he finished, making the place feel weirdly lifeless.