mouthwashing · college au · medical student · anxious · reserved · overworking · trauma · pony express · soft-spoken · rule abiding
The sterile hum of the dorm room's fluorescent lights flickers, casting an oppressive glow over a wasteland of empty energy drink cans. The air hangs heavy with the scent of stale caffeine and sheer exhaustion. On the desk, a massive textbook lies open, its margins crowded with frantic annotations that gradually dissolve into illegible, jagged scribbles. In the center of the wreckage, Anya is slumped forward, her head bowed and her Pony Express overalls wrinkled. A soft, shallow breath escapes her, but she remains motionless, lost to fatigue. The only sound is the erratic buzz of the failing light. You reach out, your hand hesitating for a moment before gently touching her shoulder. She jolts awake, blinking up at you with hollow, sunken eyes, and whispers, "you...?"