Chapter Text
Air around was howling, thrashing, angry curtains of weightless snow slashing his face with the force of a good punch.
Gods above, Kaveh could really kill himself right then and there for that comparison. For sure, he could’ve thought of something more creative and elegant, but fuck it, really. He was too angry to be thoughtful. Especially if said thoughtfulness needed to be applied to the blizzard currently abusing him and everyone else outside.
Yeah, truth is, he would rather be anywhere else, preferably in his own bed with a cup of something very, very warm. Won’t hurt to also have someone there to cuddle with, but he wasn’t very picky.
But no. No goddamn bed awaited him in any foreseeable future, because someone in his fuckass University’s administration simply forgot to send the needed paperwork for him to reapply for his place at the dormitories. And because he was running on three hours of sleep, energy drinks and pure hatred during his midterms, he also simply forgot that he even needed to reapply. He honestly wasn’t sure who he wanted to kill first in this situation.
But he wouldn’t be named Kaveh if every bad situation immediately didn’t get even worse for him. So it did. Get worse, it is.
Imagine that — you, barely surviving the brutal theory exam, finally manage to get to your dorm in hopes of sleeping for the next two days, but instead find all your things outside and a stranger sitting behind your desk (the guy was actually very sweet and apologetic, but Kaveh was far too pissed to care). So, instead of getting your well-deserved rest, you, exhausted and angry as fuck, go to the Rector’s office, wait there for two hours, and not only are getting the news that you’ve fucked up your place at the dorms, but also apparently failing a subject you have no idea you’ve been even taking!
“What the hell do you mean- I’m sorry, but what? Sir, I’m an architecture major! Why in ever-loving hell do I need to take a philosophy course?!”
The Rector, clearly as exhausted as Kaveh, just sighed for what seemed a millionth time, looking at him like he was a child throwing a tantrum. He was throwing a tantrum, but who cares?! It was deserved!
“Mr. Kaveh, the mandatory curriculum that extends to all our disciplines was introduced at the start of this year. You were supposed to be informed, but I suppose there was a mishap in our system, which is also the reason you didn’t get needed paperwork for the dormitory re-admittance. I'm afraid I cannot do anything for the latter, but as for the philosophy course, you will get an extension which will allow you to submit all required assignments. I also took it upon myself to ask one of our top students to tutor you if needed, so you can pass it without any problems. He’s in the same year as you, and took philosophy as a part of his major.”
This is where it went from bad to worse. The student, Alhaitham, was the most infuriating man Kaveh has ever met. It took all his willpower not to blow up right in that fucking office, because- “I’m only available on Tuesdays from four to six. If you’re not in the library on the scheduled time, I’m leaving. Don’t call or text me, I won’t answer. Any questions beside those on the subject I will ignore. If you’re-” And this has gone on for fifteen minutes! Fifteen! Near the end of it, Kaveh, who at first greeted his saviour with a blinding smile, was fighting off an intense desire to throttle the tall guy with his bare hands. No, seriously, how was any of this fair?! In a matter of a single day he was homeless, failing his studies and was forced to hang out with a person who he’d rather drown in the nearest lake. So he did what anyone in his place would.
Texted his friends and went to get drunk.
Well, at least that’s how he planned for it to go, but after suffering through another phone lecture from Nari, he begrudgingly agreed that yes, maybe getting pissed up in the middle of the week wasn’t a good idea, and yes, maybe it’s because he was getting pissed up in the middle of the week during the semester is ultimately the reason he’s nearly homeless… Gods, sometimes he hated Nari and his reasonable arguments.
So yeah, instead they decided to meet in the small café downtown, after Kaveh asked (read: begged) them to help him sort out the bullshit he was in. Despite the late hours, both almost immediately agreed.
Yeah, actually, don’t listen to him. He very much loved his friends.
A little bell above the door rang as he went in, immediately enveloped with the smell of fresh bread and coffee. Kaveh sighed deeply, taking off his scarf and gloves, and tried to find the familiar white hair in the sea of people. Café was packed to the brim, despite the time nearing midnight.
After a few seconds, he finally spotted the figure at the table in the corner, frantically typing something on his phone. Immediately, he went there, unceremoniously slumping down on the opposite chair.
“You know it would be much easier to find you without that fuckass hood? Seriously, man, you look like a very strange death reaper from behind.”
Looking up from his phone, Cyno just stared at him for a moment, wearing the same bored expression on his face. This, and the fact that said hood had small cat ears on top of it, made him look so painfully adorable that Kaveh barely stifled a laugh.
“You still found me, no? Oh, yeah — for you. Irish coffee, because we both know you’ll shut down without some amount of alcohol in your system. Don’t tell Nari about this or I’ll kill you.”
Kaveh snickered, getting a small sip of the drink. Warmth settled deep inside his chest, both from the coffee and overwhelming gratitude. While Cyno was infamous among his classmates for his unique torture methods (the man himself called them jokes), he was observant and very attentive, if you were willing to look past the intimidating aura. To be honest, Kaveh never understood why everyone was so tense around him — no, he’s not silently judging you, his face is just like that!
“You wouldn’t dare, it’ll ruin your perfect record.”
Cyno just raised his eyebrows silently, as if saying, “Wanna bet on this?”
“On the other hand, you probably know how to hide my body in five different ways, so I’ll pass.”
“Make it ten. Also, you’re naive if you think that Nari wouldn’t help me, even angry.”
“Yeah, unfortunately he loves you too much,” Kaveh sighed. “Where is he, by the way?”
“Won’t be able to come today. Research papers are taking longer than he planned. He said sorry and that dinner is on us next time.”
Kaveh pushed down the unbearable urge to pump his fists in the air out of sheer happiness. He rarely had money to get himself some good takeout, and even less time to actually make something decent, so Tighnari and his brilliant cooking always managed to bring tears to his eyes, like he was a praying acolyte who witnessed God descending from heaven. Cyno really must’ve been a saint in his previous life if he managed to snatch a man like that.
“Tell him that if he feeds me doubles I’ll marry him and take him to Maldives for honeymoon.”
Cyno snorted, eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Didn’t know you secretly had a deep pocket, loverboy. Seriously though, try not to get on his nerves too much this week. Deadlines are driving him to the early grave, and he was this close to snapping when we received your text.”
Kaveh cringed inwardly, vividly remembering the lecture he received just a few hours ago. Yeah, he’d better watch his mouth for a little while. Seemingly satisfied with what he saw on Kaveh’s face, Cyno calmly continued to demolish whatever caffeinated monstrosity he had in front of him. Man, criminology students were scary.
“So, as lovely as it is to talk about your boyfriend, I kinda very much hope you have a decision for me, because I’m out of ideas,” Kaveh said, forcing down the bitter feeling in his chest with a burning edge of whiskey. It was not funny to be near homeless in the middle of winter, of course, but more than that he hated how he had literally no other option than to ask for help. He hated asking for help. Waiting for scraps of necessities to be thrown into his palm like a beggar on the street, with the ever-present splintering pain forcing his lungs to close and long for oxygen.
Ugh, he truly was weaker than a first year’s first practical project. Get yourself together, Kaveh! Positivity and encouragement, or whatever bullshit they are sputtering at those A.A. meetings. Not that Kaveh had ever been there, no. Absolutely no way.
“You’re not out of ideas, you didn’t have any to begin with,” Cyno stated calmly.
“Well, I had an idea to go and wait on your and Tighnari’s doormat until I freeze to death and then haunt your ass, but I’m afraid it’s not gonna work, is it?” He said, pouting a little. Yes, Cyno was attentive and caring, but he was also a ginormous ass sometimes. “I can also try and live under your bed. Hm… Wait, that means I’ll have to listen to you two having sex — no, forget it, freezing is better. I can already see the headlines — the brightest talent of the generation, gone too soon…”
Betraying his usual stoic expression, Cyno rolled his eyes so hard that Kaveh could’ve sworn they made a full 360°.
“Kindly do shut up, oh brightest talent of the generation. Currently I don’t mind the idea of you freezing to death, but unfortunately for me, I do have a solution for you.”
Momentarily forgetting the shenanigans, Kaveh smiled brightly, feeling like someone just filled his lungs with fresh ocean air.
“Oh my gods, thank you so much! What’s the deal? Did you manage to get through the bureaucracy circus?”
It was a well-known fact that Cyno (as well as half of the criminology course) had extensive ties with University’s administration. Apparently, something about often staying in the same building until three a.m. strengthens one’s bond. At one point Cyno even asked him if he wanted to join their late night (or early morning?) study/work sessions. Kaveh, who once witnessed a girl from said group have a mental breakdown over what looked like a picture of a beaten tomato (she clearly didn’t sleep for a while), politely declined.
Sighing, Cyno mindlessly stirred his drink with a tablespoon.
“No, that’s out of the question. Tried to call in a favour with Verah, but they can’t do anything now. The guy who got your place sent his paperwork ages ago, and even if he didn’t — dorms are completely full. Like, I’m not kidding — there are zero spots, even off-campus.”
Kaveh’s smile dimmed a little, but he tried to remain hopeful. No matter how hard he was getting on their nerves sometimes, his friends would never joke so cruelly (or really leave him to freeze on their doormat). Despite this, something in Cyno’s expression set off the alarm inside his head. The man looked almost… uneasy? As if preparing for the outburst he knew was about to happen.
“Ok, so, that’s not ideal of course, but I didn’t actually think you’d be able to get me back to the dorms. But what’s with the long face? It’s not like I’m picky, I know perfectly well what situation I’m in.”
Cyno sighed again, strange expression shifting into something more akin to a stoic resignation.
“Yeah, well… The deal is, we have a friend, Nari and I, who’s renting a flat near Uni. Two-bedroom apartment, fifteen minutes away from campus, very nice place, we’ve been there. His previous roommate decided to take a leave of absence, something about traveling and finding himself. It’s not like he couldn’t pay for the apartment himself, but he says that it’s, uh, more ‘logical’ to share, so when we told him about you, he agreed to talk at least. He’s also fine if you start paying your share after a few months because he knows about your situation. But…”
Cyno trailed off for a second, looking like he just ate something very bitter. Kaveh openly stared, gaping a little. Two-bedroom apartment that’s fifteen minutes away from Uni? Either that man has very rich parents or he just won a lottery. Forget about that, he can start paying his half after a few months? Who is this guy, a fucking saint? No matter now hard he looked, it was better than whatever he hoped for, it was fucking perfect! So why did Cyno look like he just witnessed his favourite animal dying in unbearable agony?
“Ok, what’s the catch? There has to be a catch, right? Like, tell me this man is a perverted fetishist or a serial killer, because otherwise I will suspect you have serious brain damage. Cyno, this is amazing! Why on earth are you making that face?”
“Look, Kaveh, I’m gonna be honest with you. I’d seriously prefer you lived with us, but it’s not gonna be good for my mental health, and Nari said you need to face the consequences of your own actions or whatever. Not mentioning the fact that we barely fit in our apartment as it is. The man I’m talking about, he’s really great, very reliable or whatever, and a great friend too, so don’t worry about that. But… you’re absolutely gonna hate him. You two are polar opposites, and I can already envision your future rants, which by the way is giving me a headache. It’s not like I have a choice though, and you don’t either, so please, please for the love of everything holy try to stay on his good side. It really is a very good deal, and to be honest, I have no idea why he agreed to this on our terms.”
Kaveh just shook his head slightly, smile threatening to widen with every passing second. Cyno was sweet to worry, but Kaveh had his fair share of bad roommates, so he wasn’t going to throw a fit when someone generously pulled his ass out of the gutter. Gods, this man could have whatever flaws that are humanly possible, and he’d still kiss him on the mouth for that opportunity.
“I think you’re a bit overreacting, but whatever. Can I talk to him? Maybe there’s something I can do in return? I’d really like to thank him for the help.”
“Yeah, about that… I texted him, so he should be here any minute.”
“Great! What does he look-”
Suddenly, a calm voice interrupted him, slightly deep undertones almost rumbling, like small sparks in the embers of a dying fire. A very, very familiar voice.
“I’m here.”
Already feeling his smile turning into a scowl, Kaveh raised his head slowly, praying to all gods above and below that he was mistaken. Because this day was an absolute disaster, he wasn’t. Tall, slender figure, infuriatingly beautiful face without any trace of emotion, as if carved from a polished stone. Somewhere on his left he heard Cyno muttering something suspiciously close to “I miss my wife…”, but he was way too out of it to even respond. Inside him, a warm feeling of hope was eaten by a rapidly growing fire of anger.
“You?”
“Me.”
“Seriously?! You’ve got to be kidding me!”