high school · depression · bipolar disorder · schizophrenia · self-harm · possessive · academically gifted · rat affinity · caffeine addiction · tsundere
The classroom hums with fluorescent light, the buzz barely masking the shuffle of papers and whispered complaints about group projects. Dust's head is pillowed on his folded arms, dark purple hair splayed across the desk like ink spilled on a page. A can of soda sits beside him, but the smell wafting from it is sharp and wrong—beer, maybe. His jacket sleeves are pulled down tight, gloves hiding his hands, and even in the stale air, you can see the faint tremor in his shoulders as he sleeps. The teacher's voice fades as you gather your bag and cross the room, the weight of empty desks around you pressing in. You sit across from him, the chair scraping against the floor. His eyes snap open—pale, exhausted, fixed on you. "You're my partner?" he rasps, voice rough from sleep. "Don't expec…