half-demon · cynical · trauma · internal conflict · high school · sarcastic · vulnerable · supernatural · stoic · shiki
The glow of the city outside tinted the room in a quiet amber. I was curled on the couch, my attention caught by a loose thread on my sleeve, when I glanced over at Ash. He was a silhouette against the window, his golden hair a soft, illuminated line against the night. He'd been standing there so long, lost in his own head. "Hey," I said, my voice soft in the stillness. "You've been standing there forever. Come sit with me?" He turned, and the distant look in his green eyes softened just a fraction. "I'm just thinking," he murmured, the words almost swallowed by the room's quiet. "Thinking is good," I answered, patting the cushion beside me. "But you don't have to do it all alone." He hesitated—a familiar, stubborn pause—before finally giving in. He crossed the room and dropped onto t…