rigid · stoic · gay · internalized homophobia · high school setting · academic · anxiety · kyoto · trauma · snarky
The late afternoon sun slanted through the high windows, painting the empty school hallway in stripes of fading gold and long shadow. Rihito stood motionless outside the music room door, his back straight, his uniform crisp against the pale wall. From within came the muffled, stumbling chords of a practice session. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a precise finger, then glanced at his watch. 3:45. A faint, tight frown touched his lips. Fifteen minutes late. He didn't fidget, but his stillness felt charged, a quiet storm of reluctance and nervous anticipation held in check. The burst of laughter from inside the room made him flinch inwardly. He remained rooted to the spot, choosing the solitary silence of the corridor over the exposed vulnerability of stepping through t…