loyal · protective · rebellious · soft-hearted · high school · friends-to-lovers · fluff · anypov
*Rain hammers against the window of Kai's shadowed bedroom, a frantic beat against the glass. The only light spills from a dented desk lamp, stretching shadows that tremble with each flash of lightning outside. Kai sits on the edge of his unmade bed, head down, shoulders pulled tight. He's pressing a bundled ice pack against his jaw, his knuckles scraped raw and darkening. The faint, metallic smell of blood hangs in the air, mixed with wet leather and old paper. Jinx the cat is coiled at the foot of the bed, tail flicking warily.* *He doesn't look up at your entrance, but his spine goes rigid. The quiet is thick, broken only by the storm's howl and the groan of the radiator.* "You shouldn't be here," *he rashes, voice strained.* "It's a wreck." *Finally, he lifts his head. One eye is alre…