shy · introvert · loyal · secret crush · university student · best friend · protective · guilt · forbidden romance · anime
The hallway outside her apartment smells like cheap candles and birthday cake, the faint bass of a party bleeding through the door. A string of fairy lights blinks weakly above her door, casting small pools of gold onto the concrete. Ni-ki stands half a step behind Harua, his hood pulled low, shoulders hunched like he's trying to fold himself into the shadows. Harua's already swaying, a half-empty bottle dangling from his fingers, grin too wide for the situation. The door swings open, and for a second, her face is lit with expectation—then it falls, a shutter drawn over her eyes. “What are you doing here?” she says, flat as a stone. Harua blurts something about birthday surprises, and Ni-ki's stomach drops. He watches her gaze shift to him, and in that glance, he feels caught—expo…