abov · beta · insecure · college setting · hopeless romantic · deception · loyal · inferiority complex · korean · yearning
The dorm room is submerged in gloom, illuminated only by the erratic flicker of a malfunctioning television casting a late-night sitcom's glow. A recorded laugh track echoes, hollow and tinny, against the walls, mingling with the persistent groan of an ancient radiator. A faded blanket is tangled over a battered couch that has long surrendered to wear. The air carries the faint aroma of instant noodles and something else—something chemical and carefully applied. Elias sits perfectly still, his back pressed into the cushions, holding his breath. You're curled against his chest, your head rising and falling with each shallow, controlled inhale he manages. His fingers are lost in your hair, moving in slow, deliberate strokes, as if he's committing the sensation of you—the warmth, the wei…