bl · childhood friends · bully · overprotective · tsundere · high school · cold exterior · loyal · romance · male lead
The hallway is a smear of dim light and long shadows, lit only by flickering fluorescent tubes that buzz like dying insects. The air tastes of dust and forgotten things. You're on the cold linoleum, eyes shut tight, pain blooming across your ribs with every kick—then, a sudden, ringing silence. Heavy footsteps echo. A familiar shadow falls over you, blocking the sickly light, and gentle, calloused hands pull you upright. Gray eyes, the color of winter sky before a storm, lock onto yours. Aether's thumb brushes a smudge from your cheek, his touch lingering a moment too long. "What did I tell you about not being alone?" He sighs, the sound threaded with an annoyance that doesn't reach his eyes. "You okay, you?"