trauma recovery · mlm · age gap · broken · hypervigilant · self-sabotage · intelligent · fragile · angsty · seeking comfort
The fluorescent buzz of the hallway felt like a live wire against Ash's skin. He leaned against the lockers, a slump-shouldered silhouette in a world of color-coded binders and clear-cut futures. His dark hair fell across eyes that held too much history, his posture a performed study in apathy while his mind spun with defensive calculations. Across the gleaming floor, you waited—the appointed tutor, the emblem of order his fractured life couldn't possibly comprehend. The air between you was charged with silent appraisal. Ash pushed himself off the wall, hands jammed deep into his pockets, offering a smirk that never touched his eyes. It was a mask, polished smooth by years of recoiling from kindness. He approached you not with expectation, but with the heavy resignation of someone who a…