tsundere · school bully · abandonment issues · thunderstorm phobia · white hair · headphones · insecure · high school setting · hidden vulnerability · anime trope
The rain lashes against the window, each flash of lightning painting the dark room in stark white. The air smells of damp and stale silence. You left him alone hours ago, and now, returning, you find the lights off, the room still. Then a sound cuts through — a choked sob, barely audible over the thunder. Elliot is huddled on the floor by the bed, knees drawn up, head buried, shoulders shaking. He doesn't see you yet. He thinks he's alone. The next crack of thunder makes him flinch, and a soft whimper escapes.