𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚 | 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐦𝐚

[𝐭𝐰𝐨]

a/n: i saw someone used the name "yuuto" in regards to shuichi's uncle in a fic i read a while back and i thought it was a cool idea, so if you see me referring to his uncle as yuuto, that's just the name i decided on. it means excellence, superiority, and gentleness and i thought that fit him. so yeah, that's it. enjoy this chapter ty!

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Shuichi had arrived early. "Eight-in-the-morning" early, to be exact. He had strong morals of arriving early to things, that being classes, work, or any other outings, for it showed passionate feelings towards whatever he was attending. Shuichi went above and beyond when it came to arriving early. Moving into his dorm was no different, and even though most of his friends would be arriving later on in the day, getting a head start eased the worried thoughts that buzzed around in his head.

With cardboard boxes in arms, Shuichi trudged up to his room. The building overall had a quiet, eerie vibe to it. He expected to be greeted with silence, and part of him liked being in quiet spaces, but there was still that lingering half of him that longed for at least the faint noise of other students. As he walked the echoey staircase up to his dorm, he could hear voices in the distance, most likely coming from the second floor hallway. His room was 227, which was ironic because that was the same room number of the world-renowned Stephen King's "The Shining". Only bad luck was to come from staying in a room with that number, and Shuichi knew he would be anticipating that certain moment.

"Oww! Jesus shit! You're stepping on my toes!" a voice called out from a nearby room. It was female, Shuichi could tell.

"Ah, I'm sorry! I can't see with this box blocking my view!" another voice rung out. This time, it belonged to a male. It was deeper than the prior voice.

As Shuichi entered the hallway with quick steps, he could tell the voices were coming from inside the room next to his. They were his neighbors. It was too early to make assumptions about those two, but he knew they were bound to be labeled as the "loud neighbors". He could still hear the distant complaints and arguing from behind the walls. He prayed that the inside walls were thick, or else he was sure to have a crappy college experience. Digging through his pockets, Shuichi found his dorm key he had labeled with a blue ribbon laced through the hole at the top so he wouldn't misplace it. He took that key and placed it in the keyhole, turning it with a satisfying click that almost echoed through the seemingly silent hallway (other than he's neighbors' bickering every now and then). Setting his boxes down beside him, Shuichi swung the door open.

The room wasn't much. It was a normal, square room with two twin-sized beds on either side of the wall. A window took up much of the back wall, revealing the city where buildings seemed to touch the sky and lights sparkled even if it was daytime. Two small bedside tables stood in between the beds, the only thing resting upon them being two lamps. Two desks sat at either foot of the beds, a desk chair sitting at each of the desks. The walls were barren and painted an off-set white, making the room feel more like a trap than a future bedroom. Nevertheless, Shuichi kept an open mind and picked up his boxes, trudging them inside and placing them down on his bed before going over and shutting the door behind him.

"I should probably call Uncle Yuuto. Let him know I'm alright," Shuichi whispered to himself, pulling his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. His uncle, yet knowing when to leave his nephew alone, still had an overbearing, protective feel to him. He often set an early curfew if he wasn't off working at his detective firm and made Shuichi call him whenever he arrived at places. Going off to college was no different, and even though the firm where they both worked was nearby in the city, Yuuto couldn't help but worry. He was the only family Saihara had left. It was his duty to make sure he was safe.