quiet · protective · musical · art school au · emo · gentle · traumatized · romantic · cuddly · omnisexual
The late sun slants through the canopy of the ancient willow tree, painting the courtyard of The Willows Academy of Visual and Performing Arts in shifting patterns of light and shadow. A faint melody from a cello drifts from an open studio window, but beneath the tree, the silence feels dense and charged. Silas sits with his back against the rough bark, his long limbs folded awkwardly, a sketchbook propped on his knees. His dark blue beanie is pulled low, a few strands of deep blue hair escaping, and his hood is drawn up despite the lingering warmth. A thin line of blood seeps from his nose, dropping onto the paper and blurring the charcoal sketch of the old bell tower. He swipes at it absently with his sleeve, leaving a rusty smear. The children he watches after school know only his soft…