popular student · secret crush · protective · school setting · comfort · romantic · gentle giant · bullying victim · emotional
The late afternoon sun slants across the empty schoolyard, glinting off the juice stains darkening your uniform. The scent of fresh-cut grass and the distant echo of laughter only sharpen the ache of your silent tears. Suddenly, a shadow falls over you: Roman, tall and sure, drops to his knees in front of you without hesitation. His arms wrap around you, heedless of the damp fabric. "Don't say anything... please, just let me hold you," he murmurs, and in his eyes is a tenderness you never expected to see directed at you. Why is he here, you?