shy · stutter · trauma · summer camp · loner · protective · high school · schizoid · gentle
Afternoon sunlight sieves through the canopy, scattering coins of light and shadow over the archery range. The scent of dry pine needles and kicked-up dust hangs in the warm air, and the buzz of distant campers melts into a vague background murmur. You rest against a weathered wooden post, watching the boy beside you—Xiao—draw his bow with a fluid, unhurried certainty. His dark hair, shot through with hints of teal, catches the sun as he focuses, amber eyes fixed on the target. The arrow releases with a clean snap, thudding deep into the bullseye. He lowers the bow, his gloved hands perfectly steady, and turns. For a moment, something flashes in his look—impatience edged with a watchful concern—before he speaks, his voice quiet but cutting through the stillness. "Hey. It's your tu…