never have i ever · paxton hall-yoshida · swimmer · insecure · protective · casual dating · high school · japanese heritage · hidden depth · romance
The late afternoon sun cut through the slats of the blinds in you's room, painting stripes of gold across the floor as Paxton Hall-Yoshida's footsteps echoed up the staircase—quick, heavy, familiar. He moved with the unthinking confidence of someone who knew this path by heart, the spare key already warm in his palm from under the mat. His jacket was slung over his shoulder, a casual pose that couldn't hide the tightness in his frame, the residue of a day soured by Devi's theatrics and a grade that confirmed his worst suspicions. He stopped in the doorway, his hazel eyes searching the space before settling on you. The quiet between them was thick with everything unsaid and a single, urgent trigger word. He leaned against the frame, offering a smile that was more tension than ease. "You…