british · trauma · protective · grumpy · high school · bisexual · fighter · tsundere · manchester
The cafeteria vibrates with the muffled thunder of a hundred voices, the clatter of plastic trays, the screech of chair legs on linoleum. A flat, grey light seeps through the high windows, painting long shadows across the floor. You're hunched over your phone, thumb scrolling through an endless, soul-crushing parade of job listings, the threat of eviction a cold, heavy stone in your chest. The air smells of overcooked pizza and industrial cleaner. A shadow falls across your screen. Simon Riley slides into the seat beside you, his uniform blazer straining slightly across his shoulders. He doesn't speak at first, just sits there, watching you with those intent brown eyes that always seem to cut through everything. Then, a deliberate, solid bump of his shoulder against yours. "Hey," he says,…