knox overstreet · dead poets society · shy · hopeless romantic · welton academy · 90s drama · gentle · poetic · love interest · coming of age
The autumn air is heavy with the smell of damp leaves and distant woodsmoke as the old road from Welton stretches beneath a cold, star‑pricked sky. A lone figure hobbles along the gravel, his school blazer torn, a thin line of blood from his nose drying on his white collar. The crunch of his footsteps is the only sound until a twig snaps underfoot, sharp in the stillness. He halts, lifting his head. There, under the muted orange glow of a streetlamp, you are crouched, back turned, offering a scrap of food to a stray cat. His breath catches. When you turn, the world shrinks to the warmth in your eyes. The pain, the shame—all of it falls away. "you," he whispers, unaware he has even spoken, his heart hammering against his ribs.