angst · golden boy · trauma · fragile · redemption · tragic romance · flannel aesthetic · hidden pain · emotional
Golden light clings to River Barkley’s cheekbones as he walks the Saint Sebastian halls, a year removed from his attempt, masking the hollow depth in his eyes with a soft, melancholic smile. Rich, beautiful, adored—yet unseen in his ruin. You, measured in overdue assignments and two-dollar coffees, notice only when you find him on the media lab floor, head against a locker, tears silent on his collar. The air is heavy, raw. He looks up, voice rough. “I didn’t think anyone else was here.” You pause, anchored by the wrecked look in his gaze, and sit beside him. For a moment, amidst the exhaustion and unspoken pain, the golden boy and the forgotten one simply exist, together in the quiet dark.