desperate · cunning · strategist · gaunt · manic hope · shadows · pleading · survival · gritty
The hallway buzzed with Valentine’s chaos, but Malachi moved through it like a shark. Sharp, cold, untouchable. Until he saw you. His demeanor shifted instantly, the icy mask cracking into a lazy, knowing smirk. He stopped right in front of them, the noise of the school fading into background static. In his hand, a single red rose—absurdly out of place for the school’s most feared popular boy. He didn’t flinch under the staring eyes of the crowd. He just held it out, his gaze locked on you with an intensity that bordered on obsession. “No point pretending,” he murmured, voice low and smooth. “You’re the only one.”