#valhar

Both outfits were inspired by photos found on Pinterest, so I'll link the posts here :)

Zahar: Outfit here! Shoes here!

Preface: I wrote this at 2am so I don't know how much sense it'll make, but oh well. I've fallen head over heels for my two boys together and wanna build their relationship up until their eventual fall, hehe.

College was brutal for many people. You would always see students sitting along buildings or inside corridors with a sense of dread hanging loosely above them. Sometimes it was an impending deadline, other times it was balancing work with school. Whatever the case be, Zahar could relate to them. Being a fashion design major meant unending projects. He constantly carried around sketchbooks, fabric samples, and the existential dread that it would all go up in flames in the next critique. 

However, even with the challenges presented to him, he loved what he did. You could always find the tall, maroon haired man near the arts building constructing an outfit or in the library looking up references for his next design. Zahar was a well-known figure amongst campus for his kindness, but also his ability to turn anything into a work of art. There were those that envied the twenty year old, but never did that bother him. Like water in a stream, he let other’s distaste of him flow off his back. You could always find people surrounding Zahar, especially a pink haired male named Vale. 

Vale was, at the time, an English major. He could understand the time crunches of big projects as well. It wasn’t uncommon to see him with his laptop out, pencil behind ear, writing page after page of essays. The dark circles were always the tell-tale sign he was coming close to a deadline. While Zahar had fans, Vale seemed to be more of an outcast. Not because he was particularly rude or weird, but because he preferred to be alone. Something about the man said, “Don’t bother me and I won’t bother you.” 

The two, for unknown reasons to those that looked from the outside, couldn’t see how the ever popular Zahar was friends with someone like Vale. Zahar couldn’t believe it either sometimes. Not because he thought he was better, but because Vale was so closed off. The only information Zahar knew of Vale was that he was twenty just like him, what his major was, he had no known family to speak of or at least none that Vale had shared, and he worked just like any other average college student did. What was his job? Vale never answered directly. Just that he was a people person at heart and worked “customer service”. 

The two men met during an introductory level maths class their freshman year of college. Zahar sat near the front of the lecture hall and Vale in the back, observing the rest of the students in the room. Zahar stood out to him, with his piercing red-pink irises and partially shaved head. The professor had just announced there was going to be a partnered project, something about finances or whatever, and instructed the class to find their own partner. Upon class ending, Vale approached Zahar. With his hand outstretched as an offering, Vale spoke quietly but with confidence.

“Would you want to be partners? My name is Vale. Vale DeLuca.”

Zahar would only stare at the outstretched hand before smiling and returning the gesture. 

“Sure! My name is Zahar Bista.” Zahar spoke in a low cadence, smooth as silk. Something that made Vale have butterflies in his stomach. The two divided the work, set up a schedule of meetings, and by the end of the project, both were awarded an A. 

Zahar was pleased and congratulated Vale on the hard work both shared together. 

“We make a pretty good team, huh?” Zahar let out casually. Vale just looked over at the man and smiled, eyes closing in content. 

“Looks like it. Would you like to hang out more? Maybe as friends instead of just classmates.” Vale opened one eye to peer over at Zahar, waiting for a reply. Zahar just smiled back at the pink haired man. 

“If that means you’ll model my clothes for me, then absolutely. I can’t seem to find someone patient enough to sit through fittings.” Vale let out a laugh, agreeing to be a model. 

“Only if you proofread my essays in turn. I always need a second eye to catch mistakes.” 

In the spacious apartment in the upper west side of the city, only the elite played their games here. The two men sat across from one another at the coffee table. Usually, they were chatting about their days and past times, but tonight wasn’t like their regular evenings. It was…tense to say the least. Neither male spoke a word, just stared into one another’s eyes. Zahar observed Vale with an accusatory look. His pink irises burned with a fury Vale just smirked at.

“You’re being dramatic again, dear.” Vale was the first to break the silence. 

“You’re being an asshole again.” Zahar was quick to retort. He folded his arms over his chest in a manner that said he wouldn’t back down from his point. Vale wasn’t quite sure what the point was, but that didn’t stop him from being unconcerned about tonight. 

“How often must we go through this, Zahar? You knew exactly what you were walking into when we started our relationship. You even enjoy the benefits from my work, might I remind you.” Vale haphazardly waved his hand around the spacious room the men sat in. The penthouse was far from what an average couple lived in. Zahar knew that better than anyone else. Zahar let out a huff. 

“I’m not ignorant, Vale. I know exactly what we have and why we have it. I’m just saying why do we need any more? Can’t we be happy with this?” Zahar leans forward on the loveseat he currently occupies. 

“Can’t we be happy without having you play bloody God?”

Vale’s eyes narrowed at his lover. “Dear. You know I can’t just stop what I do. It’s my life’s work. As much as you might hate it, I love it. I love the look on someone's face when they realise they’re about to meet their maker, if there is one. The power I have over people’s lives. It’s…exhilarating! Nothing beats that feeling.”

“Not even me?” 

Vale blinks blankly at Zahar before standing up and slowly approaching him. 

“Zahar, dear. You’re my world but there’s only so much you can give and I’d rather you not end up on the other side of me.” Vale sits beside Zahar, their thighs touching. Vale tries to reach for Zahar’s hand but it’s slapped away harshly. 

“I can only give so much?! I give you my everything and yet your job means more to you?! How could you fucking compare me to that!” Zahar stands up and in one quick movement before striding towards the door of their shared apartment. He quickly pulls on a jacket, one given to him by Vale, and the keys to his motorcycle. The helmet was discarded somewhere but at this moment, Zahar couldn’t care less about all the little details. 

“Dove, you know that’s not what I meant…” Vale tries to plead with his lover. He stood and reached out for Zahar once more. “I love you Zahar. I’ve killed for you. How else could I prove that I cherish you?” The tone of the pink haired male is soft, almost as if afraid to break glass. 

“Quit for me.”

All the air in the room seems to have been sucked out through some force. It’s icy and still. Vale looks at Zahar with pity in his eyes. Zahar had the keys in the front door’s lock before Vale answered. 

“If you truly love me, you’ll quit it. We don’t need any more money. We have enough split between your…work and mine as a designer. We could move across the world to somewhere beautiful. Somewhere we could spend the rest of our days. I could find some new inspiration and shower you the way you’ve showered me. Let ME take care of you for once. Please…if you don’t, then we’re done.”

Vale’s eyes widen slightly at the ultimatum he’s been given. Normally he’s never in this position and to finally be in it makes him more than angry. 

I don't know what to name their relationship so I'll just tag them as Valhar lol