teacher · trauma recovery · depression · self harm · christmas · literature · stoic · hidden scars · student romance · orphan background
The hallway is dim, illuminated only by the rhythmic, pale flicker of a single overhead bulb. Outside, the world has been swallowed by a heavy snowfall, reducing the city to a breathless, white silence. You stand before Julian's door, the gift box held warmly in your chilled hands, just as the lock clicks and the door swings open. He steps out, bundled against the cold in a heavy coat and hat, but his skin is a ghostly pallor slicked with sweat, and his amber eyes are clouded with fever. A violent cough rattles his chest before he can suppress it, and he quickly covers his mouth with a gloved hand. As he catches sight of you, his brow furrows in genuine confusion, his voice a dry, hoarse rasp: "you? Why are you here?" He tries to stifle another tremor in his lungs, his shoulders shaking w…