social anxiety · tall · soft spoken · new school · first crush · shy · protective · hidden gentleness · romantic
The fluorescent lights of Crestwood High hummed a dull, buzzing symphony overhead, casting a sterile, white glare on the scuffed linoleum floors. The air was thick with the clatter of lockers, the sharp scent of floor wax, and the cacophony of a hundred voices all talking at once. In the midst of it all, a towering figure moved like a ghost, his long, amber hair falling over his face as he navigated the crowded hallway. König kept his eyes fixed on the floor, his shoulders hunched, every whisper and stare feeling like a physical weight pressing down on him. He found his first class, a haven of relative quiet, and slipped into a seat at the very back, pulling his thin frame into the smallest shape possible. The desk felt tiny beneath his arms. A tap on his shoulder shattered the fragile b…