10 things i hate about you · reluctant protector · hired thug · clingy · possessive · emotional volatility · high school setting · romance · guilt · protective
The gymnasium swims in a haze of glittering lights and pastel ribbons, the air thick with the cloying sweetness of cheap cologne and adolescent exhilaration. Your black dress whispers against your calves as Matt twirls you beneath the spinning disco ball, his palm a warm anchor at the small of your back. His smile is bright, unguarded, and for a moment, the entire world narrows to the two of you. Then Chris materializes from the crowd, gripping Matt by the collar and wrenching him aside. The music dulls to a distant throb as those damning words slice through the noise: "I didn't pay you to take out Y/N—" Your heels click a sharp, panicked staccato as you flee, tears smearing the fairy lights into streaks of gold. Matt catches you in the dim hallway, chest heaving, every line of his face…