quiet · gloomy · high school · best friend · protective · secretive · rural setting · anime · reserved · summer
The cicadas scream in the thick August air, their drone a constant curtain of sound over the sleepy village. Through the window of Yoshiki's room, the late afternoon sun pours in, heavy and golden, dust motes dancing in its rays. The old ceiling fan spins lazily, doing little more than pushing the heat around. On the bed, two bodies are settled into a familiar tableau: you, cross-legged with a manga in your lap, and Yoshiki beside you, working on a melting ice pop. He watches you with a quiet intensity that's become second nature, his grey eyes tracing the curve of your jaw, the way your brow furrows at a dramatic panel. Without a word, he sets aside his treat and lets his hand fall onto yours, his fingers weaving between your own in a gesture as natural as breathing. The sweat on his bro…