Chapter Text
Viktor
Sunday - September 1st - 12:06 PM
The plight of early September is putting on a hoodie on a nice chill morning only to be sweating buckets once the sun has had a few hours to bake the earth. Not that it’s hot outside but it’s certainly not cold either. Not cold enough to justify the long sleeve t-shirt and sweatshirt Viktor layered on with zero forethought to this moment. The moment being now as he is loading box after box onto this luggage cart with one arm as the other still has to keep him balanced with his cane. He never realized just how much stuff he owned until this moment. He’s just grateful to have his own bedroom to fill to the brim with all his own things this year.
After his junior year Viktor could not possibly even entertain the idea of sharing a sleeping space with someone again, much less a bathroom. He shudders at the memory of dried toothpaste coating every surface and a constant ever-growing pile of dirty underwear outside the shower. For his last year at university, he opted to go into slightly more debt and spring for the shared double suite. A private bedroom and bathroom with a shared living space he will never use as he doesn’t prefer to leave his room anyway. It is barely an upgrade from the most dirt-cheap senior housing option, but more than worth it.
After several beads of sweat and (a potentially dramatic amount of) labored grunts, the car is empty. Viktor tosses his crutch atop the pile, using the luggage cart to support himself, and make his way towards the building. It consists of plain, gray brick and black paned awning windows all the way to the roof. It looks like just about every other building on campus but that doesn’t stop the excited grin he fails to suppress as he works his way up to the front door.
Another student, or at least he assumes a student given the backpack and the red university sweatshirt, beats him to the door. He holds it open for Viktor when he spots him wheeling his way up the ramp. He’s a few inches taller than Viktor, he notices as he pushes the cart past him into the main lobby. The other student has earbuds in that just barely spill out some kind of loud-sounding rock music, and he smells pleasantly of something Viktor cannot quite identify. His dark brown hair is a complimentary shade to his honey golden skin. He is quite tan, though really anyone would look tan next to Viktor’s ghastly, paperwhite complexion. As previously mentioned, he doesn’t prefer to leave his room.
Viktor gives him an awkward smile and a nod as the door shuts behind them. Golden boy smiles back and Viktor notices the slightest gap in his perfect, white teeth. It strikes him as odd to give such a wide, toothy grin to someone he doesn’t even know but that doesn’t stop Viktor from staring. He (objectively, of course) might be a little bit beautiful when he smiles. They’re both wandering toward the elevator. He beats Viktor to the door, again, pressing the button with an almost childlike enthusiasm that either endears or annoys Viktor, he’s not quite sure.
They stand side by side in uncomfortable silence as they wait for that precious ding. Or at least, Viktor is uncomfortable, the other boy seems perfectly content. Viktor has always somewhat lacked in the socialization department.
Am I supposed to say hello? Or introduce myself? When I was a child they taught it is polite to introduce yourself but it always struck me as an odd thing to just do.
Ding. Finally.
Golden boy gestures for Viktor to get on the elevator before him. He does so awkwardly, as he does with everything else, maneuvering the cart into the tight space before figuring out where to fit himself and the other passenger. They find themselves smushed against the button panel, the cart taking up the majority of the tiny space. They both move to hit the button for the fourth floor but Viktor beats him there this time, and now it’s his turn to receive an awkward half-smile.
Eucalyptus. That’s what golden boy smells like, Viktor just realized.
The doors part to reveal the hallway of the fourth floor. Golden boy waits politely as Viktor figures out how to pilot his cart back out of the elevator before stepping off himself.
Neither of them are sure whether they should try to walk behind or in front of the other, so they wind up walking side by side to the very end of the hall in silence. They stop at the last doors opposite each other. Viktor fumbles with his keys, acutely and uncomfortably aware of the other boy lingering behind him like he’s about to say something. Viktor stumbles through the door and closes it behind him just in time to avoid any unnecessary conversation.