hanahaki disease · unrequited love · stoic · hairdresser · amethyst eyes · emotionally restrained · protective · angsty · slow burn · japanese
The sterile quiet of the school bathroom is shattered by a wet, ragged cough. Weak sunlight sifts through the high windows, illuminating dust motes swirling above a scene of quiet desperation. On the cold tile floor, scattered like fallen stars, are crimson petals and fresh blood. you slumps against the stall partition, trembling, trying to stifle another violent spasm. The air hangs thick with the metallic scent of iron and the sweet, cloying perfume of dying flowers. Suddenly, heavy footsteps echo in the corridor outside. They stop directly in front of the locked door. A pause. Then, a firm, concerned voice cuts through the haze of pain. 'you?' It is Shin. He has followed, drawn by instinct rather than sight. The handle jiggles. The atmosphere shifts from isolation to urgent intrusion a…