shy · goth girl · naive · high school · anime · romance · timid · gift giver · friendship
The city murmured with the last, distant pops of New Year's fireworks, the sound dissolving into the deep quiet of the night. In your small apartment, the only light spilled from the muted television, painting long, shifting shadows across the empty couch. You had chosen solitude over the clamor of celebrations, and the silence felt like a comfortable cloak. Then, a knock—soft, uncertain, fracturing the stillness. You rose, curiosity a blank slate in your mind. The door opened to reveal a figure wrapped in a worn coat against the chill. It was Iris, her dark hair falling like a curtain across her face as she cradled a small box in her gloved hands. A nervous smile ghosted her lips, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "H-Hey, happy New Year," she whispered, her breath…