Chapter Text
Shane is going to kill Hayden. He already has a plan in place for when they get back to their dorm room.
If they get back to their dorm room.
In the dead of night, when Hayden is fast asleep in his shitty lofted bed, he is going to smother him with a pillow and leave him be so he will never drag Shane to a party ever again. Ever.
Shane ponders over this plan as he stands in the corner of Lambda Chi Stupid, nursing a warm Sprite that some pledge had fished out the back of the bar when he asked for a soda. He didn’t think it was that crazy of an ask, but the pledge looked bewildered at his request anyways.
The room is hazy and dark, and the pounding bass is kickstarting a migraine that he’s been trying to avoid until he is actually stressed enough. Like during midterms, or something. He can feel the sweat starting to bead at his nape, dripping down his back and pooling in the divot at his waist.
Not only was this party the last place he ever wants to be, but it was also making him feel disgusting. There were students all over, making out and sharing drinks and doing everything but be civil towards one another. Earlier, when he went to use the restroom, he was pretty sure he walked in on someone mid-thrust, and that was a vision he was trying to erase from his brain, also.
He didn't even want to be here. He wants to find his annoying roommate, go to his dorm, put on his shower shoes, and scrub the ever-living hell out of his skin until it is raw and red and clean.
But Hayden is lost in the crowd. And there is no way Shane is moving from his corner.
So, he is here. Alone. In a fucking fraternity house during his first week of college.
What a disaster.
How did everyone even know each other? He's sure he’s spotted at least a few of the guys on their hall, pressed up against different people, swaying and smiling and talking. Where did they find the time to make friends?
Move-in day was stressful enough. After his parents had finally left the premises, with promises to visit and call, Shane was too worn out to even think about trying to make friends. His social battery had been at an all-time low, talking with RAs and the students who had volunteered to help with move-in and his parents, so all he could do was lay in bed and stare at his very blank ceiling. Until Hayden walked in the next morning with his parents and his bags of clothes, kickstarting the entire process again.
Starting classes was even more stressful. He’d signed up for way too many courses, but they all seemed so fun and interesting. Chemistry and Linear Algebra and Statistics? English and French and Intro to European Medieval Art?
He just couldn’t resist. He was going to learn so much.
Between actually going to class, studying, and doing homework, there was just no time to make friends yet.
Maybe, Shane thought, that was why Hayden had dragged him to this dumb party in the first place. They were polar opposites. While Shane went to the library, Hayden went to the gym. When Shane went to class, Hayden skipped and threw a football in the courtyard.
While Shane sat in their dorm room, eating his take-out dining hall dinner of mashed potatoes and roasted chicken all alone, Hayden rushed a fraternity and drank cheap beer.
Shane huffs and rolls his eyes, tossing the last of his soda down his throat. He crushes the can and scans the room for a trash can.
There were none in sight. Like not a single can or bag anywhere.
Were these people pigs?
He looks down at the scattered mess at his feet, kicking a paper plate with a half-eaten slice of pizza away.
Absolutely disgusting.
He drops the can he was holding by his feet, and kicks that away too.
“Fucking Hayden.” He mutters to himself. It was nearing midnight already, and he had made plans, with himself, to go to the club fair happening at the expo hall at 8 AM the next morning. He didn’t want to miss his chance to join Space Club or Society of Engineers.
They were great clubs at Boston University. The tour guide had raved about them when he visited a year ago, so he really needed to be at the expo hall tomorrow.
After thinking for a moment, he realizes he doesn't need Hayden to leave. He has his own key, and he knew how to get back to the dorms. He could just go home!
He pulls his phone out and types out a message. He doesn't want Hayden to think he’d ditched, or was in a ditch somewhere.
To: Hayden
Shane: Going back to dorm. See you tomorrow.
Send.
Perfect. He pushes himself off the wall and stumbles through the crowd, doing his best to avoid any and all bodies in his way. It had somehow gotten more crowded, even though it was getting later in the night.
It was not making sense. None of it.
He finally finds a clear path to the open door and beelines, pushing himself through the exit and into the humid August air. To his surprise, there is an actual line to get into the house. Like, people were lined up to go into that should-be-condemned building.
It was not that fun in there. In fact, it wasn’t fun at all.
He was just about to say something when someone pushed into him from behind, propelling him down the stairs and onto the front lawn. He spits out a piece of grass on his lip and lifts his head. What the fuck? He pushes himself up and brushes off his arms, looking around for whoever had run into him like that.
“Fuck! I am sorry.” An accented voice comes from the stairs. Shane whirls around, ignoring the snickers from the line, and watches a tall, blond-haired boy jog towards him. He holds out his hand, but Shane stands up without it, wiping his palms on his pants.
He can feel his face starting to turn red. Whether it was anger or embarrassment, he can't tell. The boy slowly pulls his hand back and looks down at Shane.
“You are ok?” he says, accent still very well apparent.
Shane nods. He was annoyed, yes. But he was ok, and the guy was…not ugly. He can appreciate an attractive person, whatever gender they may be.
He looks up at the sharp blue eyes and crooked nose, then glances at the unlit cigarette behind his ear. Disgusting.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to smoke on campus.” Shane mutters, staring back at the guy’s eyes.
The guy snorts.
“Da. Good thing we are not on campus. I am Ilya.” He holds out his hand.
Shane eyes it, then slowly reaches out with his own. He could smell vodka? on the guy’s breath. Some sort of alcohol, at least. He wasn’t super familiar with the assortments.
But, he doesn't want to be rude. That was one thing he wasn’t.
“Il-ya,” he says, “My name is Shane.” Their handshake sends a zap to his core that he wasn’t expecting. Static electricity, maybe? Shane drops his hand and wipes it on his pants again.
“Shane.” Ilya repeats, moving his head like he was weighing the name. Figuring out how it rolled off his tongue and out of his mouth. “Sorry for pushing, Shane. I tripped on door.”
“It’s fine.”
The exchange was starting to get longer than Shane had expected. A simple apology would have sufficed. He can feel his eyelids getting heavier by the minute.
“You are leaving party?” Ilya says after a beat, pointing at the house behind him.
Shane nods.
“Ok. I walk with you. Is late and I have practice in morning. Ok?” he says it like it was a normal occurrence. Like they were buddies and Ilya was doing him a favor.
But they weren’t buddies. Shane did not know this guy. Like at all.
“Ummm,”
What he meant to say next was, “It’s fine. I can walk by myself.” Or “No, I’m good.”
Instead, he nodded in agreement and said “Ok.”
The walk is silent besides the sound of shoes scraping the pavement and the occasional sniffle. Ilya, to his better judgement, decides to not light the cigarette behind his ear.
Shane thinks he would vomit if he smelled it.
It wasn’t as awkward as Shane imagined it would be, though. It was kind of nice to be around someone who wasn’t Hayden for once.
Not that he didn’t like Hayden.
While, he isn't the biggest fan of him right now, Hayden had been a good roommate so far. Deep down, Shane knew he was just trying to help. Get Shane outside his comfort zone to make friends, but that wasn’t really who Shane was.
He had always been quiet, smart, and driven. He had friends from high school, like Rose, who understood him and accommodated their friendship to fit who he was.
It was great. It worked.
This worked, also. Walking in silence was not bad to him. It was easy because he could just look around at the campus and watch the trees sway in the wind. He didn’t need to think for once.
Ilya slows down at a crossroads, turning to Shane.
“My apartment is there.” He points in the general direction of the downtown area, where all the high-rise student apartments were located off campus.
“I’m going to the dorms, so I’ll be that way.” Shane points further off in the opposite direction. Towards the freshman sanctuary with dorms and dining halls and the library.
They stand for a moment in more silence, in the muggy night, in the middle of campus.
“Okay. Well… goodnight, Ilya.” Shane says with a wave. He starts to turn away.
“Goodnight Shane.” Ilya says behind him.
Shane smiles and starts his trek down the sidewalk.
His mom would be proud to know he made a friend that wasn’t Hayden. Maybe he should text her.