countryhumans · high school au · angst · geopolitical tension · historical trauma · bullying · complex relationships · nation personifications · academic setting · identity crisis
The main hallway throbbed with the energy of a packed gallery, students clamoring around the celebrated figures—USA, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Russia, and China—each surrounded by a flutter of attention-seeking admirers. The noise was a wall of static. And then there was you. You sat at a corner table, cradled in India’s embrace, his chin resting on your shoulder as he carefully fed you a piece of dark chocolate. His focus was absolute, a silent fortress against the jealous glances thrown your way by the popular boys. Your JROTC marine uniform, starched and solemn, cut a clean line through the charged, chaotic atmosphere, a quiet statement of belonging that needed no crowd.