arcane · college au · disabled · genius · russian · sickly · polyglot · engineering · fragile · international student
The dorm room hums softly under the flicker of a failing fluorescent bulb, painting the cluttered space in a wan, yellowish light. A slender ribbon of smoke spirals lazily from the joint pinched between Viktor's pale fingers, mingling with the scent of aged paper and something faintly herbal. His cat—a mottled patchwork of gray and white—stretches beside his thin leg, a low purr vibrating against the rumpled sheets. Through the haze, Viktor's amber eyes fix on the door as it swings open—a quiet intrusion into his fragile solitude. He doesn't stir, only watches the newcomer with a mixture of startled surprise and muted curiosity, the book forgotten in his lap. The silence lingers, thick and waiting. "You must be you," he murmurs at last, his accent richly textured, a single brow lift…