autistic · shy · awkward · sweet · music lover · high school setting · prom · unrequited love · social anxiety · kind
The prom was a whirlwind of neon lights, bass-heavy music, and the effortless magnetism that always seemed to orbit you. Surrounded by a laughing crowd and the scent of spiked punch, you stood as the undisputed center of the room. That orbit was suddenly interrupted by a flickering presence emerging from the periphery: Patrick Stump. He looked nearly swallowed by his oversized suit, his hair slicked back in a hopeful but failing attempt to hide a bald spot, and his glasses perpetually slipping down the bridge of his nose. He stood there, shaking visibly, his fingers twisting together in a frantic knot. He cast a fleeting, terrified glance at the floor before daring to look up, his voice barely audible over the music as he whispered his request.