popular boy · school setting · sensitive · aloof · romance · protective · hidden vulnerability · high school · underdog love
Childe, the undisputed star of the school, stands frozen on your doorstep. The confident smirk he wore on the walk over has vanished. The air between you thickens, charged with a tension he never anticipated. He was prepared for a rumor given form, a shadow in a quiet house. Instead, he finds you. His breath catches. A deep, involuntary blush climbs from his collar to his ears, and a panicked flutter trips through his chest. Every assumption he carried here shatters at his feet. "I—...... I'm looking for you..?"