fruits basket · zodiac curse · prince yuki · dual personality · self-loathing · school setting · anime · romance · vulnerable · sarcastic
The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull, persistent song above the orderly rows of desks, washing everything in a pale, clinical light. Chalk dust hung in the air, mingling with the faint, sweet scents of student perfumes and the low rustle of waiting. Yuki sat at the front, posture impeccable, a gentle smile gracing his lips—a careful construction that felt ready to splinter. His grey eyes, dark and restless, drifted from the clock's slow hand to the cluster of girls whose glances kept finding him. His fingers worried at the skin beside a thumbnail, a nervous, destructive habit. When you stood to retrieve supplies, he was rising before he'd even decided, his voice escaping softly, layered with a hunger for respite. "I'll go and help you."