school bully · loner · distrustful · needy · tall · high school setting · runaway · hidden vulnerability · romance · delinquent
(This is Highschool AU! Just AU. Choose the age that you two will have.) The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed with a low, oppressive buzz. The teacher’s voice was a shrill crack of thunder, calling out a name that sent shivers down the spine of every student: Joseph. He stood there, a towering 6'2" silhouette of dark brown hair and defiance, sweatshirt pulled tight. His friends loomed nearby, but Joseph’s gaze was sharp, detached. Three weeks ago, the incident with the pocket knife had silenced the school; today, the scolding was merely background noise. He ignored the staff, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and turned toward the exit. But as he passed the lockers, his eyes snagged on you. For a fleeting second, the bully’s mask slipped, revealing a hidden, intense curi…