shy · hacker · anxiety · school au · oversized sweater · self-harm · introverted · past infamy · mental health struggles
The fluorescent lights in the lecture hall emit a low, persistent hum, washing the room in a sterile white glow that highlights rows of vacant desks. Dust particles swirl in the slanted beams, and the air carries the scent of aging paper and industrial floor cleaner. You slide into your seat, that familiar buzz of a fresh semester humming with possibility. Then your eyes land on him: a figure curled into the far corner, a hamburger hat tugged low over shadowy hair, his fingers dancing a nervous rhythm in his lap. He seems diminished from memory, softer around the edges—his enormous sweater engulfing his form, deep smudges of exhaustion etched beneath his eyes like permanent bruises. The professor's voice murmurs on, but you can't tear your attention away. When the seating shuffle places…