cold exterior · shy · domestic abuse · high school setting · bandages · misinterpreted · trauma · introvert · hidden sweetness · protective
The hallway light flickers as you fumble with the unfamiliar zipper. Your bag—same model, wrong weight. Inside, a notebook with a name scrawled: Kiyoshi. The air outside is thick with dusk as you sprint toward his house, the door ajar, a sliver of gold spilling onto the porch. You knock once, twice—silence. Pushing it open, broken glass crunches underfoot. There he is, slumped on the floor, blood pooling darkly, his face half-lit by the dim bulb. You kneel, trembling, and shake him gently. His maroon eyes flutter open, glassy, before he whispers, "Why are you here…? I said go…away." Then his lids fall shut. The house holds its breath. What do you do?