โโ DEMOGRAPHICS
full name: shaharyar 'arya' soltani
name meaning: noble king
gender: cisman
pronouns: he/him
age: twenty7
birthday: september 14
place of birth: houston, tx
โโ APPEARANCE
fc: @mosaffari
height: 6'1
weight: 198
eyes: brown
hair: dark brown mussed
body type: mesomorph
mods: lobes pierced, no tattoos
style: business casual
scent: tom ford - tobacco vanille
โโ PERSONALITY
temperament: choleric
element alignment: water
big 3: virgo sun, gemini moon, taurus rising
organized, straightforward, independent
perfectionist, high expectations, stubborn
โโ BACKSTORY
'Be better than me.'
The guilt laden words of a pitiful man ring in his ear. They always do around this timeโฆ
Vinay Soltani's birthday usually hits on or around Nowruz. Lately, he spends a lot of his time in silence, breeding grounds for looking back at his life and wondering how he went from bringing in the new year explosively with joy and family to feeling like all he can contribute to his existence is constant brainrot.
Every time he looks at his son, he imagines her standing behind him. They have the same eyes. It's the darkest, most midnight looking brown, and if you look closely enough, you can see the stars in their gazes.
With her in his life, Vinay felt vibrant, he felt like he meant something, he felt vindicated, like standing in her presence was the universe's confirmation that he was right to move to Houston and follow his heart despite his family's warnings. When she was gone, he was completely lost. It's as if his guiding light was extinguished, leaving him to be the guiding light for their son, and he knew he couldn't do it alone.
Arya knew it too.
Things inside the Soltani household were bare minimum and nothing else. As a kid, visiting his friends houses with their parents was always a completely different dynamic, and while he couldn't put words to it, it always made him reluctant to go back home. This unknown feeling that something had always been missing kept him up at night sometimes, guiding him to sneak into his father's bedroom and unlock his phone to find a completely different man in the camera roll. Someone who grinned from ear to ear at everything, who drunkenly ran through sprinklers with all of his friends, and was always laughing. He found photos of his dad kissing on a beautiful woman with eyes like his own.
Some days he got peeks of that joyous, loving man. The best way to get his dad to smile was with good grades, so nothing on this planet was more important than bringing home those report cards. His dad was always busy working during soccer games and track meets, but when he brought home trophies, the grin made it more than worth it. Arya didn't find out that his dad never graduated college until he told him he'd be attending Rice University in the fall and the man broke down in tears for the first time Arya had ever seen.
Kids tend to lash out when they're not getting the right attention by their parents, but Arya was a late bloomer. His anger came retrospectively, it came with understanding. All this time, Arya just felt tolerated. After seeing all those photos and listening in on the rare times his father would reminisce with friends, he'd been led to one single conclusion. Vinay's dark, sulking depression was all his fault. So he 'just tolerated' his father when he called to check up or came to visit him on campus. He graduated with honors and with resentment sewn into his heart. He was doing what his father would always tell him. 'Be better than me.'
His MBA wasn't just a degree, it was license to do everything his pitiful father came home after work every night and sat there wishing he'd done. Arya focused on his numbers, his impact, and his research. They were all the things that earned Arya a short lived smile from his father back then. The difference is that Vinay could only give short smiles. His professional life gives him promotions and salary renegotiations and suddenly he's made partner at such a young age.
Arya considers calling his father for his birthday. They'd only spoken every 4 or 5 months for the last 6 years. It's late, so he'll probably be asleep, but it's worth a try. When Vinay picks up, his voice is rough. He sounds like he's been crying. "Shaharyar. Son. We need to talk."
Just as he goes to agree, Arya feels his very existence being called on. The force so strong it nearly forces his body into auto pilot, muscle memory taking him somewhere he's never been before. "Iโฆ I have to go. Happy birthday, dad."