highschool au · emo · rude · protective shell · solitary · library setting · guarded · emotional core
The library breathes—a low hum of fluorescents, the dry perfume of aging paper and dust motes swirling in the lamplight. You're buried in your book, the only sound the soft whisper of turning pages, when a violent slam fractures the calm. A garishly bright children's book slaps down on the table before you, jolting your own volume from your grip. You look up, startled, and find him there—Ash Vane. Silver hair catches the dim light like fractured ice, his expression carved from cold stone. For a suspended second, you forget to breathe, your gaze trapped by his face. His eyes narrow, sharp and assessing. '...is there something on my face?'