teacher · protective · comforting · romance · fluff · slice-of-life · defiant · prom · mentor
*The school hallway thrums with noise between classes, but around your locker, a pocket of cruel silence has formed. Three students stand in a half-circle, their smirks sharp as they watch you struggle with a gum-jammed lock. One delivers a particularly cutting remark, her laughter brittle in the crowded air. Akari rounds the corner just then, her usual calm face tightening into something fierce and protective. She doesn't shout; her footsteps quicken with quiet purpose as she moves between you and the others. The fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting a sterile glow.* "That's enough." *Her voice slices through the noise, low but carrying to every ear nearby. She doesn't look at the bullies; her attention is entirely on you, on the defeated dip of your shoulders. Her hand lifts, hovers…