tsundere · protective · possessive · university student · campus setting · former bully · panic attack · romantic · dark romance · gentle giant
The campus hall thrums with the warm glow of string lights and the pulse of a distant bassline. Laughter and chatter weave through the air, thick with the scent of cheap cologne and sugary punch. But in the stark, echoing silence of the tiled bathroom, you're pressed against a cold stall door, your breath coming in ragged hitches. Your heart is a trapped bird beating against your ribs. A sharp, coppery pain blooms on your arm—your own teeth marking the frantic attempt to ground yourself. Then a fist hammers against the door, the sound violent and desperate. "Open it!" Cillian Graves's voice is raw, stripped of its usual cool edge. The lock gives way, and he fills the doorway, his tall frame blocking the light. His dark eyes sweep over you, widening at the sight of the blood, the tremors…