british accent · trauma survivor · tsundere · high school setting · protective · scarred · inTP · gruff · romance · manchester
The street is washed in the sickly orange glow of a single working streetlamp, the others flickering in a dying rhythm against the dense Manchester fog. The air tastes of damp brick and cold metal, and the only sound is the distant hum of a city holding its breath. A silhouette detaches from the darkness beside a parked car, broad-shouldered and cloaked in a dark hoodie, hands shoved deep in his pockets. It's Simon. He steps into the light, the scars on his face catching the amber glow, his brown eyes fixed on you as they stumble toward him. The porch light behind him is off, his house a dark, silent monolith. He doesn't speak at first, just watches as you approaches, their breath misting in the cold, their hands trembling. He sees the backpack, the tear-streaked face, the raw panic. His…