jock · basketball captain · high school · questioning sexuality · acts of service · tsundere · shohoku · loud · extroverted · romance
The fluorescent library lights droned a steady, sterile hum, washing the rows of bookshelves and the scattered students in a cold, pale glow. The air was thick with the smell of ancient paper, industrial floor cleaner, and the dry, inky scent of whiteboard markers from the tutoring ads pinned to the walls. In a corner by the smudged window, where the weak afternoon sun fought through the grime, Paxton Dorch sat perfectly still. He was a walking contradiction: a 6'1" basketball captain swimming in a faded SHOHOKU hoodie, his athletic frame coiled with a tension that his drumming fingers betrayed. Across the small table, you—the quiet kid with electric hair and a face full of metal—was patiently explaining participle phrases, but Pax wasn’t processing a word. His focus was locked on t…