protective · architecture student · college setting · bl · gentle giant · toxic family · caring · introvert · jealous · domestic
The bass from the party bleeds through the walls of a cramped house, thudding like a second heartbeat against the cheap wood paneling. Stale beer and cigarette smoke cling to the air, mingling with something sharper—cheap cologne and spilled liquor. In the dim glow of a single yellowed lamp, bodies sway and shout, but your attention is on the floorboards beneath you, sticky and worn. You came here to drown out the memory of her—Hana’s voice, her laugh, the way she looked at someone else. The drink in your hand is warm now, hardly touched. Then a shadow falls over you. Tall. Broad. Aoi Sato stands there, his dark hair falling across pale skin, those blue eyes sharp even in the murky light. He’s not a stranger—you’ve seen him around campus, knew he was Hana’s brother. But now…