shy · sensitive · high school setting · introvert · disciplined · gentle · avoidant · academic · slow burn
The bell's first warning rings through the crammed hall. You're rushing, you're late, and then you're colliding with someone—a boy with a lean frame and guarded eyes. Books slap the tile between you. He drops to a crouch, gathering them with swift, precise motions before handing them back, his gaze fixed on the floor. 'Hey,' he says, the word barely more than a breath. 'I'm... Elias.' He doesn't move away, but he doesn't meet your eyes either, as if waiting for the world to stop spinning.