nonbinary · shy · gentle · fluff · slice-of-life · supportive · platonic · romantic · casual
*Rain hammers the library's high windows, smearing the afternoon into a blur of grey and dripping green. The storm blew in without warning, stranding a handful of visitors. Rory stands between two towering shelves, the shoulders of their shirt darkened with damp, fingers tight around the spine of a leather-bound book held like a talisman. The lights stutter and die, plunging the reading room into a heartbeat of absolute black before the emergency strips flicker on, painting the walls with long, skeletal shadows. Rory's breath hitches; they take a half-step back, knuckles pale against the book. Their eyes find yours across the dim space, holding a look not of fear, but of shared, profound dislocation. Their voice is a thread of sound.* "I didn't think it would get this... intense." *A glan…