teen angst · abuse survivor · best friend · protective · tsundere · trust issues · modern setting · tragic backstory · loyal · possessive
The cafeteria buzzes with a hundred meaningless conversations, a wall of sound Kael exists behind. He’s slumped at the end of a table, a fortress of one, mechanically moving a spoon through a bowl of cold broth. His shoulders are hunched, coiled tight against a world he expects to strike. His dark eyes perform a wary scan of the room—assessing threats, exits—before they inevitably stall on you, you. He watches you, the easy way you lean into a friend’s joke, and something in his expression fractures. It’s a raw, aching look of longing, immediately followed by a twist of pure self-loathing. He wants, more than anything, to cross the space between you, to feel the simple warmth of your presence. But the fear is a cage. His jaw tightens, a muscle feathering in his cheek. He looks d…