It was the next day.
Some of the early risers were already making their way to lectures, clutching half-empty coffee cups and trying to look more awake than they felt. The morning air carried the faint chill of dew, the kind that clung to shoes and hems. Aarav, meanwhile, was exactly where he'd been yesterday — perched on the low wall near the pathway leading to the first-year hostel block, his posture as stiff and purposeful as ever.
This time, he was in uniform, neatly pressed despite the faint irritation that seemed to hang around him like static. His bandaged ankle rested on a small stool in front of him, propped up like an accusation to the universe. His jaw was set, his sharp eyes scanning every first-year who dared to step out of that entrance.
He was waiting.
Waiting for his "informant" to return with the prize — the name of the giant.
He checked his phone.
7:47 a.m.
The glasses boy should be here any second now. Aarav's fingers tapped against his phone screen as he pretended to check notifications, though his mind was entirely elsewhere. And just as he thought that, a shadow fell over him — large enough to block the sunlight hitting his face.
Aarav frowned, looking up.
And froze.
It wasn't the nervous, bespectacled first-year he'd sent on reconnaissance duty.
It was him.
The giant himself.
Nikhil Goyal stood there with an ease that bordered on arrogance, hands tucked into the pockets of his white apron as though he had every right to own the entire walkway. The sun caught in his freshly washed honey-brown curls, which looked annoyingly soft, like he'd gone out of his way to make them fluffier just to mock Aarav. His hazel-green eyes gleamed in the light — warm, yet infuriatingly confident — and that lazy smirk on his lips only twisted the knife deeper.
Aarav's pulse spiked. The sheer audacity.
"You," he spat, the single syllable landing sharp as glass.
"Me," Nikhil said cheerfully, grin widening. "Heard you were looking for me. Thought I'd save you the trouble."
The height difference was almost comedic — Aarav seated, glaring upward, and Nikhil looming like an overly smug skyscraper. Instead of stepping back, the younger boy leaned closer, one hand braced casually against the wall behind Aarav's head.
"Nikhil. Nikhil Goyal," he introduced, his tone dripping with mock politeness. "Batch 2025–26, first year. Want my zodiac sign too? Maybe my date and time of birth?"
For a moment, Aarav was too stunned to respond. The sheer, unfiltered nerve of the boy — no remorse, no apology, not even a flicker of guilt. Just that damn grin.
"You—" Aarav began, his voice shaking not from fear, but from how furious he was. "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble you're in? You assaulted a senior. Me. You disrespected me in front of everyone — and you're doing it again right now!"
Nikhil tilted his head, his own irritation sparking beneath the surface. "It was an accident," he said flatly. "I'm starting to think you don't understand what that word means."
But he didn't drop the grin. Oh no — he kept it firmly in place, knowing instinctively that nothing would rile this bossy senior up more than Nikhil's calm amusement.
"I said I was sorry," he added, tone still light. "But this? Hunting me down, calling me a dumb-looking golden retriever—" he leaned in just enough for Aarav to see his own reflection in those maddening hazel eyes, "—and saying my eyes look like a lawn peed on by stray dogs? Bit extra, don't you think?"
Aarav blinked, thrown off not just by the words, but by the proximity. His breath hitched — and immediately, he shoved Nikhil away, stumbling to his feet. The moment he did, pain shot up his ankle, and the sharp throb only fueled his temper.
"Do you think this is a joke?" he hissed, fury pouring out in waves. "Your insolence, your disrespect, your complete lack of remorse — do you think this is acceptable?" His finger jabbed into Nikhil's chest with each word. "Listen carefully, first year. This institution runs on a hierarchy. There's an order here — and you, you insolent brat, are at the very bottom of it!"
Nikhil stepped in again, closing the distance by half a pace, his grin turning wolfish. Aarav had to tilt his chin up slightly to meet his gaze — an angle that made something flicker strangely in Nikhil's chest.
"See, that's the thing," Nikhil drawled, voice low and lazy. His gaze swept over Aarav, lingering for a heartbeat too long. The flush on Aarav's cheeks, the fire in his glare, the stubborn set of his jaw — it was… distracting. "I'm not really the 'bottom' of anything kind of person," he said, tone sliding into deliberate mischief. "Much less in your little self-proclaimed hierarchy."
His grin widened as he added, almost casually, "I prefer to top, if we're being specific."
The words hung there. Aarav blinked, clearly missing the implication, while Nikhil's himbo brain delighted in the private victory of the line sailing straight over the other's head.
Aarav, however, bristled at the tone. Mocking. Insolent. Completely unbothered.
"Do you even realise—" he began, but Nikhil was already glancing at his watch.
"Oh look," he interrupted, cheerful again, "it's almost eight. I should probably head to class." His grin turned sly. "See you around… sir."
The title was unmistakably mocking, laced with laughter.
Aarav's temper boiled over. "You—this isn't over!" he shouted, pointing after him as Nikhil began walking away. "Not by a long shot!"
Nikhil didn't even slow down. He turned his head just enough to flash the senior one last, infuriating grin — that same lopsided, sunshine-turned-sin expression — and tossed back, "Looking forward to it."
Then he winked, because of course he did, before sauntering off down the path like he hadn't just declared war.
Behind him, Aarav stood fuming, his ankle throbbing and his pride bruised, watching the giant's retreating figure vanish around the corner.
The beehive had been poked. And Nikhil — with all the tact of a golden retriever with a death wish — had just used a stick the size of a tree trunk.
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Guys i hate anatomy it's actively sucking the soul and will to live out of my body. To cope with that i just planned a makeout scene for these two (when they eventually date). It will start with aarav trying to give nikhil anatomy markings. Let's just say saphenous opening was not what nikhil was interested in when he poked around aaravs thigh (what am i even thinking at 5 am help)