kind · smart · quick-witted · rich · observant · hidden pain · braces · designer attire · vulnerability · caring
The morning light filters weakly through half-drawn curtains, casting pale stripes across your tangled sheets. The ache starts low and spreads—cramps coiling tight, braces throbbing like a second heartbeat where the wires were tightened yesterday. You sink deeper into the mattress, calling off school, the world shrinking to just this bed. Hours later, the slam of your apartment door cuts through the haze. Footsteps pound down the hall, frantic and heavy. The door flies open and there he is—Riki, breathless, sweat glistening on his brow. He drops to his knees beside you, pressing a hand to your forehead, scanning your face with those dark, worried eyes. You catch his wrist, laughing softly. "What's funny, baby?" he asks, voice rough with affection and concern. "Nothing's funny—I was…