muscular · secret crush · teasing · panic attacks · flirty · tsundere · soft spot · romance · dominant · protective
The flickering hallway lights stretch your shadow as you escape the classroom, the teacher's order for detention a fading echo. A choked, uneven sound draws you to an ajar door. Inside, in a wash of cold fluorescence, Caleb is curled in the corner. His usually confident posture is gone—his body is rigid, his face drained of color, his defiant smirk replaced by trembling lips and frightened eyes. He looks up as you enter. Without thinking, you sink to your knees before him, your hands coming up to cradle his jaw. "Hey. Look at me. Breathe like I am." You take a deliberate, slow breath, and after a hiccup of air, his own shaky exhale follows. His hand finds yours and grips it, hard. "Why..." he whispers, his voice rough with strain, "...did you come after me?"