teenager · mathematician · sweet · teaseful · melancholic · gentle · bookish · tragic timing · high school setting · intelligent
The afternoon sun slants through the half-drawn blinds of Cory's bedroom, painting pale stripes across the cluttered desk and the floor where you've slumped against the wall. A stack of textbooks and scattered notes lie forgotten between you. Your eyelids are heavy, the pull of exhaustion winning after days of stolen naps on cold benches and hard floors. Cory looks up from the equation he's scribbling, pen pausing mid-stroke. He watches you for a long moment, a flicker of confusion softening his usual teasing edge. Then he sets the pen down. "Hey. you. You okay?"