Nikolay

Finally. It was over.

No more lectures. No more fights. No more people trying to manage his life.

Nikolay (or Kolia, as his mother and brother called him) was well aware of the fact that he was a fucking cliché.

And no, he wasn’t proud of it, thank you very much.

But it was really hard. It was hard to not be what people wanted him to be, to get out of that role that he played since he was a child. He had to fulfill this role; it was his responsibility.

But he was tired. Tired of his mother barging into his life. Tired of keeping this façade. Yes, he was a rich, spoiled guy. And yes, he could tell he was very attractive to others. But that wasn’t all of him. He was more than that. He was a person...

...well, no. He was a vampire.

Hadn’t he said it? A fucking cliché.

Okay, so, he was this pathetic young man running away from the responsibilities that came with being part of a wealthy family and having a very controlling mother. On top on that, he was a creature that lately people got incredibly turned on over. And, don’t forget, he was hella edgy (like “if I don’t dye my hair at least once in a month, I go fucking riot” edgy). So, yeah, he was that kind of guy. The “fuckboy” type? Yes. That.

Just thinking about the rumors that surrounded him made Kolia want to hide on a hole and never come out. It was so damn embarrassing.

But it was easy... being what others wanted, it was easy.

He didn’t know what to do.

Okay, let’s think about the positive stuff! He finally got his mother to agree with him moving out. But with the condition that he had to live on the campus. That made things a little harder, because that meant he was moving out only temporarily. Maybe that was what his mother wanted.

Or maybe it was her way of saying: “See? You will never get away from your family.”

That was... very creepy.

The thing is, he was now in a shared room, but he hadn’t seen his roommate since he arrived. Looking at his side of the room, he saw all the things perfectly arranged. There weren’t any posters or personal things beside a few books and photos of different women.

Were his family all women or was he just a strange guy?

He hoped it was the first.

…

All his questions were answered when he saw a little young boy walking through the door.

At first, he thought he maybe was a relative of the other guy living there. Then that boy looked at him with big eyes, filled with perplexity. The chubby guy went stiff, his body getting tense and his pupils dilatating. He observed Nikolay like he meant danger, and that was just so... incredibly cute.

“He looks just like a little kitten”, Nikolay thought.

“What are you doing in my- oh, I see. You’re my roommate.” The brunet answered his own question, looking like he was talking to himself, but still on a defensive mode. Nikolay was used to knowing new people, to play the popular guy and maintain composure in front of others. But this guy... he had this intense, analyzing look that gave him the feeling that he could see right through him. Nikolay almost shivered, evading that gaze.

After a few seconds of silence and an awkward cough, he said: “Hi, I’m Nikolay. So... we’re roommates now?”

The other just looked at him like he was stupid. “Yeah, I just said that.”

“Oh- yeah, you’re right, haha...”

Fuck. That was so uncomfortable.

He was 6 feet tall. A big man being intimidated by a little, grumpy thing. Nikolay didn’t know what to say, so he just stood there, with a hand on his nape and an anxious look on his face. Then, the two of them went to their own places, the smaller man reading a book while Nikolay organized his things.

“It’s going to be a long semester...”, he thought.

That first interaction was enough to know he shouldn’t bother his roommate. He didn’t even say his name! What the hell was his problem? Was he so insecure he had to get all defensive like that with someone he just met?

...oh. Right.

Well, now he felt like an idiot.

He tried staying out of the other’s sight and went to his own business, until he faced a bit of a problem. The thing is, he didn’t have enough space on the bathroom closet to put his things. Maybe the brunet didn’t expect his roommate to show up so suddenly, and forgot to move his things to make space for him. Or maybe he just did not care.

But Nikolay was a polite person, so he couldn’t just move the other’s things out of his way without permission.

Slowly (like he was approaching a cat), he walked to the smaller guy, patting his shoulder lightly to get his attention.

The “kitty” looked at him with an uninterested expression and this time he shivered.

“Can- can I ask you something?” the vampire put a fake, “charming” smile on his face. It used to work on people!

That only made things worse.

“You know... even though you look like some character straight out of a wattpad fanfic, I won’t sleep with you.” He said, barely lifting his eyes from his book.

Blood rushed to Nikolay’s face, painting it bright red. “I- That wasn’t what I was going to ask! How can I- This is not-”

Gods, just kill him.

He didn’t have time to explain himself, because the little beast attacked again: “Oooh, so you’re saying I’m not enough for you?” His expression was so blank, the poor man couldn’t tell what he was thinking! He wanted to hide himself from the wild cat before he was scratched to death!

“What?! No! It’s not like that either! Please don’t get me wrong, you are very attractive, but- Gods, this is not what I wanted to-”

Then, just a few seconds before Nikolay’s embarrassing death, the wild cat smiled a little, and the vampire froze.

“Hey, I’m just kidding, edgy boy. Don’t die.”

It was beautiful. He was beautiful. The way his chestnut eyes seemed to glow, the little dimple on his right cheek, his playful look...

Oh no, his roommate was adorable.

“Look, I’m sorry for... well, for treating you like that. It’s difficult, getting used to new people. But I think you know that already.”

He was talking. The boy was talking to him. Nikolay kept on watching him like he just grew a pair of cat ears or something.

“By the way, I’m Oliver. I hope we can get along.”

An adorable name.

“Yeah... me too.”

That day, Kolia went to bed thinking about the boy reading a book just a few steps away from him.

He forgot about the bathroom closet.