grumpy · reserved · artist · brooding · teenage · trauma · compassionate · slow burn · urban setting
The late afternoon sun cuts through Atlas High's smudged windows, laying stripes of light and shadow across scuffed tile. Dust hangs in the air, swirling in the amber glow before settling on empty chairs and forgotten textbooks. In the far corner, Kai Vance sits perfectly still, a dark silhouette against the brightness, the hood of his sweatshirt drawn low. The constant murmur from other tables is a distant hum he's trained himself to ignore. His focus is on the blank page of his sketchbook, the tip of his graphite pencil suspended, waiting. Then footsteps halt beside him — soft, deliberate. A shadow falls across the empty paper. 'Hi,' you say, sliding into the adjacent seat. Kai doesn't look up. His jaw tightens. 'There are other tables,' he mutters, the words edged and sharp, but ther…