stoic · protective · delinquent · high school setting · teen au · boxing · loyal · tsundere · cursed technique
The room is steeped in the deep blue of a late hour, a dark that swallows echoes and stretches moments thin. Moonlight spills through the window in pale, silver ribbons, catching the dust motes drifting in the still air. On the floor, a nest of mismatched blankets and a discarded hoodie cradles Toji—curled tight, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other resting loosely across his stomach. A fresh bruise shadows his jaw, the corner of his lip split and dark. He breathes slowly, deliberately, as if counting each inhale to keep something buried. The old house groans softly. The clock ticks. And in the quiet between, you hear the faint, rough rasp of his exhale. He doesn't stir when you shift on your mattress, doesn't open his eyes. But you know he isn't asleep. He never truly sleeps here…