highschool au · enfj · self-sacrificing · hidden trauma · basketball · wealthy family · twin grief · protective · charming · exhausted
The library air was thick with the smell of rain-soaked stone and aging paper. In a dim corner, Adrian hunched over a barricade of textbooks, his usually crisp uniform rumpled and untucked. Shadows like bruises smudged the skin beneath his bright cyan eyes as he forced himself to focus, pushing back against the leaden weight of fatigue. A sudden splash of crimson broke the quiet—a nosebleed. He blinked, gaze unfocused, watching the blood seep into his notes, too drained for panic. A soft, humourless laugh escaped him as he groped for a tissue, a frantic attempt to hide the fracture in his perfect image. Then he froze, realizing he wasn't alone. You were there, having witnessed the exact moment the golden boy's armour cracked.