Chapter Text
Kaveh silently swore to himself. Tighnari and Cyno would be there in less than five minutes and he still could not find his phone. He had promised that he would be ready at seven but he had slept in because he didn’t go to sleep after heading home from Tighnari’s hotel as promised, and of course, his phone alarm didn’t go off and now he couldn’t find his phone and his mechanical briefcase didn’t charge properly the night before and was also missing and everything was going wrong just like it always did. As he paced around the room with his spiralling thoughts, he heard a knock from the door and made his way over the books on the floor to open it. The couple were standing there, Tighnari sporting a smart button down and his glasses, and Cyno in his favourite hood that sported ears, matching his boyfriend.
“Nari! Cyno! I will be out in one-”
The fox stopped him as he tried to hide behind the door, pushing it open and letting himself in.
“We presumed that you may need a hand packing, so we brought you a coffee and a helping hand.”
No question, no offer of help, just a statement, a fact even. Classic Tighnari. Kaveh spluttered, desperately trying to come up with a feasible excuse before realising the two had already made their way in and were sorting through the mess of the kitchen table. If anything summed up their friendship, it was this. Kaveh ending up in some kind of mess, and the two of them coming in to save him. This pattern was a constant in their lives, and this was not the first school year that they would start packing Kaveh’s things, and certainly wouldn’t be the last.
“Hey Kaveh, have you checked the dorm listings for this year yet?”
Kaveh paused, having to think about it. “No… I know what room I’m in, but I only had time to look at that.”
“Well, from what I can see, you are going to have a very fun year.”
Kaveh shot a horrified and confused look at Tighnari, who absentmindedly shrugged his shoulders and continued piling Kaveh’s belongings into the recently rediscovered briefcase. Cyno refused to tell the blonde why he made the comment, and the bickering continued into the car, where Kaveh discovered his missing phone, dead on the seat. Just his luck. After loading in, they began their way over to the dorms, the trio settling into each other’s company. Kaveh felt so lucky to have the couple looking out for him, their friendship standing the test of time and also the… situation from several years ago. He’d always been dramatic and was always ready to stand for his morals, but that was probably why everything fell apart. A difference of opinion, an insult taken too far, a game of cat and mouse played with fire. Brushing the thoughts aside, Kaveh began thinking about the year ahead, all the new classes he had enrolled in, the apprenticeships he wanted to take on in the next year, and the talk of a couple of new students. There was talk of a new head of his sector, a young lady who was going to be taking the class from now on. They had been relying on substitutes for quite a while, and no one could quite remember who had led the sector before, which was strange in its own right. The class was pretty good, but was the smallest of the seven, meaning they usually lost in inter-section competitions. They weren’t weak, but the fact that the sheer amount of people in other sectors usually caused them to falter.
“Kaveh, stop staring out into space.”
Snapping back into reality, he realised the car had stopped, and his friends were waiting outside for him.
“Haha, sorry just thinking.” He made his way out of the car and stretched his back. “Alright! Who’s ready for another year of school!”
“Well, I am pretty excited for the botany class that is being started this year, and also to meet the new head of sector.”
“You nerd.” Cyno jokingly punched his boyfriend’s arm. “I on the other hand would like to see Lisa again and am praying to whatever god I can that Zhongli isn’t put on combat again. We had one practical lesson a month and I cannot take another lesson about the history of Rex Lapis and the Polearm.”
All three of them shuddered.
“Well, Kaveh, here we are. We’re directly above you, so if you need anything, send us a text, alright?”
Kaveh thanked them, promising them a coffee date that they all knew wouldn’t happen. As the two pulled away, he slumped his shoulders, needing at least ten seconds to compose himself before he entered his living space for the next ten months. Laying his hand on the handle, he thought back to every time he entered a new dorm. His past roommates, Nilou, the red-headed girl who introduced him to the theatre, Tighnari, who was there for one of the hardest years of his life, and Candace, who was a lifesaver for his appearance. His luck was bad, but he was usually lucky enough to get good roommates.
Come on Kaveh, start this year on a good note. This is your year!
He turned the handle, dragging his possessions inside, finding the living area empty. Kaveh sighed, glad that he was alone. Making his way to the nearest available room, which, to his surprise, was larger than the rooms they were provided the year before. Maybe it was due to his status as an older student? It was about time he started counting his blessings. Perhaps this was another sign that his luck was looking up? He started unpacking, and after meticulously placing his items in the storage provided, he turned to the décor. The walls were quite the pleasant shade of crimson, matching his favourite earrings. Perhaps he could draw inspiration from there? All the best artists had beautiful inspirations and created masterpieces, and not to build his ego but his earrings were certainly a work of art. If he could find some oak wood shelves, source some (insert red flowers here), and change the pots out for gold, perhaps even use his own artistic prowess on the walls with some paint, the room would be perfect. A quaint desk for a workspace, with a king-size bed, he had really rolled the room this year. Anxiety almost dissipated, and he made his way out into the kitchen, humming to himself, searching for something to snack on before his roommate got there. As he turned around to make his way to the living room, he ran into something.
No.
Someone.
“Greater Lord- you can't sneak up on someone like tha-“
Looking up, his red eyes met emerald.
And as he did, his entire day, week, year crumbled in that gaze.
“No.”