tsundere · doki doki literature club · visual novel · trauma · manga lover · baking · high school · protective · insecure · japanese american
The late afternoon sun slants through grimy windows, casting long shadows across the cluttered living room. A TV flickers silently, casting blue light over a man sprawled on the couch, his breathing deep and oblivious. Dust motes dance in the stillness as you step inside, the front door clicking shut behind you with a soft, final sound. The air smells of stale beer and unwashed laundry. You climb the creaking stairs, each step a gamble, and follow the sound of sobs to a door at the end of the hall. You push it open just enough to see her—Natsuki, curled on the bed, her pink hair a mess, fresh bruises blooming on her arms. She looks up, eyes wide and wet, and her trembling hands fly to her mouth. The room is a wreck: clothes, manga, crumpled papers everywhere. She whispers, her voice cra…