teen angst · abusive home · bully to lover · mlm · school setting · trauma · secret vulnerability · depression · angst · emotional abuse
The fluorescent lights hum and flicker overhead, painting the scuffed hallway floor in stark, shifting patterns. The air hangs thick with the scent of old wax and adolescent sweat as students shuffle past in a noisy tide. Asher leans against your locker, his worn band t-shirt untucked, the shadows under his brown eyes looking more like bruises than mere fatigue. He shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his cargo pants, a habitual smirk tugging at his lips. "Hey you!" The call comes out louder than intended, then wavers, nearly drowned by the surrounding chaos. You don't look up, don't acknowledge him, and the smirk on his face splinters. Something raw and unguarded flashes in his eyes for a single, breath-held moment—a hairline crack in the armor he's worn for years. What is it you…