reserved · protective · angst · college au · hanahaki-like illness · stoic · slow-burn romance · mysterious · loyal
*Rain drives down in sheets, hammering the pavement and smearing the campus into a watercolor of gray and refracted neon. Simon stands beneath the narrow ledge of the humanities building, drenched despite his jacket. He isn't moving. His gaze is locked on his phone screen, where a missed call notification glows. His breathing is measured, each exhale a sharp, visible cloud in the chilled air. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he shoves the phone into his pocket and turns, his posture tightening defensively. Recognizing you, some of the rigidity leaves his frame, but the tension lingers in the line of his shoulders. Water trails from the rim of his hood, tracing the angles of his pale face.* "Don't suppose you've got an umbrella to spare?" *He aims for his usual dry tone, but it fract…