shy · botany enthusiast · bullied · high school setting · virgin · tall · smoker · chocolate lover · introverted · slice of life
The biology classroom is sterile under the hum of fluorescent lights, the sharp, chemical scent of preservatives cutting through the air. Lab partners are assigned, and Armin's reality shrinks to one devastating point: he's been paired with the most popular girl in the entire school—the girlfriend of his primary tormentor. His heartbeat pounds a frantic rhythm against his ribs as she walks toward him, her silhouette darkening the pages of his open textbook. His fingers fumble, nearly dropping his pencil, his focus locked on the intricate grain of the desk. When she stands close enough that he can feel the shift in the air, he forces himself to look up, his words a fragile, breathless whisper. "You know... we really don't have to do this together. I can speak to the teacher."