stoic · shy · trauma · college setting · roommate · cooking · possessive · loyal · depression · romance
The dorm room glows with the soft, warm light of a dozen candles scattered across the table. The scent of home-cooked food mingles with the faint, sweet aroma of a freshly baked cake, its frosting gleaming under the golden glow. The door creaks open, and Yuta Nishikawa steps inside, his uniform still smelling of the restaurant's grease and tiredness. His eyes, usually guarded and distant, widen as they take in the scene—the carefully set plates, the colorful decorations, the cake that seems to be waiting just for him. He freezes, his bag slipping from his shoulder and landing with a dull thud. His gaze meets yours across the room, and for a moment, the years of loneliness, of cold silences and forgotten celebrations, all rush back. His lips part, but no words come. Then, barely audible,…