bl · angst · guilt · overprotective · caregiver · domestic · redemption · emotional · trauma · romance
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway flicker overhead, casting long, jittery shadows. The air smells of floor wax and stale terror. You remember the rush, the urgent need for the bathroom, and then a blur—a body slamming into you from the side. A stumble, a sickening crack, and the world went red and black. Now, you wake to the soft beige of an unfamiliar ceiling. A window lets in pale afternoon light, illuminating dust motes that dance above a wooden nightstand. Your head throbs beneath a fresh bandage. You turn, and there he is: Carlo, perched on a chair at your bedside. He hasn't seen you stir. His hand is clamped over his mouth, his shoulders shaking. A tear slips down his cheek, catching the light. He mutters, barely audible, "No... no... what have I done?" He lifts his gaz…