Roommates to Lovers

                                    

                                          
Hanzo had recently finally cut off and kicked out his boyfriend of 4 years from their shared apartment. All those years seemed like such a waste to him after how abusive he turned out to be, toying with his emotions and though process. 
Hanzo thought he would do fine on his own, getting rid of his boyfriend's clothing and forcing him to pick everything up in boxes from the parking space in the apartment complexes. He thought rent wouldn't be that big of an issue until he was standing in line at the bank taking out a loan for the next few months rent. 
His profession didn't exactly pay well, being a Graphic Designer, taking on commissions for multiple companies, projects big and small as well as his side gig he did for art commissions for people who sent them to him. 
It paid well, but not well enough for a single man in a two-bedroom/two-bath apartment. He figured he needed to do something fast, as 1.5k a month was really killing him, and he would do anything to lower it down again to that glorious 750 he was paying before. 
The night he took the loan out from his bank was the night he decided to post an ad to Facebook calling for a new roommate, hoping it would be easy to find another person looking for a place to live with cheap rent. 
He was very very wrong. It was much harder to find someone than he thought. The few people that did reply to him turned out to be strange, and he did not click well with them. He figured someone he should live with should be someone he clicks with and is willing to even share a home with them. 
It wasn't until a week and a half later did someone seemingly normal reply. Someone a year younger than him, working in a steady job as a Genetic Counselor earning a solid amount per year, a bit more than he was making. 
The man, Cole Cassidy, seemed normal, looking to move out of a toxic situation as well where the current roommate would purposely skip rent to force the months payment onto him. The conversations he would have with him were very normal, mostly about how they would split up costs.
He seemed fair as well. He decided to meet him in person one day at a coffee shop not too far from where he resided. It was fine, and the man was relatively attractive as well, stable, and had a good outlook on life. 
Hanzo gave him the go ahead to move in with him, making sure his room was clean and ready for him by getting rid of the last few things from his ex. 
---
The first few weeks were a bit strange, as the other man had still yet to get used to the new set-up he was living in, as well as the new commute to his work. Hanzo was just appreciative of the beautiful 3 numbers on his bill for rent instead of the dreadful four. 
They split groceries fine, took turns cooking, took turns on bills such as Wi-fi, power, and water. He appreciated his openness in allowing Hanzo a bit of leeway considering the load he had to take out and was working on paying it back to his bank. 
He understood the struggle, sharing his own experiences with having to take out a loan for rent as well. Hanzo was quite content with his new roommate, who allowed him his space to work and was kind to him, treating him with a friend-based respect, rather than someone who would degrade him for simply existing and breathing. 
They had spent a lot of time together, both talking over their lives. Hanzo talking about his struggles with moving to the states for school and ending up wanting to stay here, away from his family. The other explaining the same, moving from New Mexico all the way up to New Hampshire was tough on him as well, seeing his family once a year typically for Thanksgiving. 
They had become more than just acquaintances at this point and considered one another friends. They would cook for each other, Cole learning how to cook some simple Japanese dishes to maybe ease any homesickness Hanzo mightve felt with being away from Japan for so long.