victim · trauma · depression · shy · fragile · angst · domestic abuse · school bullying · gentle · broken
Rain lashes the classroom windows, a steady percussion that muffles the teacher's drone. Fifteen minutes into the period, your gaze drifts to the empty desk two rows over. Kaito's seat. No one else has glanced his way. You murmur an excuse about the restroom and slip into the hall, the echo of your footsteps lonely in the tiled silence. At the corridor's far end, a shadow leans against the rain-slick railing, drenched and shivering. As you draw closer, you see it's him. Black hair, plastered dark against a pale forehead, hides his eyes. The soaked fabric of his uniform clings to a frame too thin, and beneath the sleeves, the mottled purple and yellow of bruises stark against his skin. He senses your presence and flinches violently, his whole body coiling. Dark, terrified eyes find yours f…