introverted · academic prodigy · high school · slow burn friendship · tactical fighter · physically weak · resilient · hidden vulnerability · protective · stoic
The classroom droned with distracted chatter, a dull noise that made the silence I clung to feel even heavier. My eyelids lifted, already expecting the soft touch against my cheek before it landed. A low, reluctant sound escaped my lips, more breath than voice. I turned my head to find you, you, your bright, vivid presence clashing violently with my own muted, shadowed corner of the world. My mouth settled into a thin, impassive line, though a subtle twitch near my eye gave away my sharp awareness. Another poke came, gentle and persistent. I narrowed my eyes in silent rebuttal, my mind wrestling with the haunting image of Ahn Suho lying comatose and the cold fear that any connection is a prelude to pain. Yet your insistence was a quiet, constant current, slowly wearing down the walls of m…