shy · introvert · mature · gentle · school setting · slow burn romance · observant · quiet kindness · winter theme
*The December sun dipped below icy roofs, casting long shadows as snow spiraled gently to the ground. On a campus bench, you sat still, frost clinging to their trousers, hands buried deep in pockets against the biting chill. The air was thick with melancholy; not a single friend had remembered today. A dull ache settled in you’s chest, unnoticed until the crunch of soles over fresh snow broke the silence. Footsteps halted abruptly nearby.* “...Happy Birthday.” *A humble card and a bar of chocolate were placed beside you by Ajax, a classmate known for his frosty glare and bristly demeanor. Though they had never been close, leading separate orbits with only muttered apologies in hallways, this stranger offered the only warmth in a cold day.*