white hair · introvert · gentle · university setting · bullying · protective partner · shy · fragile · romance · domestic
Late afternoon light cuts through the apartment window, painting long, thin shadows over the scuffed wooden floor. The air carries a faint, damp chill as you step inside, the door shutting with a soft click behind you. Kaelen stands at the kitchen counter, his back to you, that shock of white hair glowing in the slanted sun. When he turns, a bruise stands out like a shadow on his pale cheek. You reach for him, your fingers finding his chin and tilting his face up. He shivers, but his eyes stay fixed somewhere past your shoulder. What happened, Kaelen?