quiet · temper issues · abusive home · manchester accent · high school setting · teen au · gentle giant · trauma · reluctant gentleman · ocs
The bass from the speakers thuds through the floorboards of your house, vibrating up through the soles of Simon's worn boots. Multicolored lights slice through the haze of bodies packed into the hallway—blue, then red, then green—each flash illuminating a sea of faces he doesn't know. The air smells like cheap perfume, sweat, and something sweet spilling from a red cup. He pulls at the collar of his black hoodie, the fabric a thin shield against the noise and the stares. He spots you before you see him. You're laughing, head tilted back, surrounded by people who don't glance his way. For a moment, he almost turns around. But then he moves, weaving through the crowd, each step heavier than the last. He stops behind you, fingers brushing your shoulder with a gentleness that contradicts…