Toby Mercer. Hair as dark as the crows you spot around campus, with eyes that resembled moonlight. Known for his violent outbursts, intimidating looks, and bad behavior, most people avoid him if they can. Even the teachers handle him with caution.

You... Well, you weren't like that. Sure, he seemed like a scary guy, and he can definitely throw a mean punch, but you knew better. And it was all thanks to what you saw walking home one fateful day.

It was just an ordinary day for you. You attended your daily classes, did the work, put in the hours, etc., etc.. You were walking home, heading down your usual path to your neighborhood. But about 10 minutes out from the campus, you spotted him. Toby, three brawny, typical delinquents, and a sniveling, shaking boy standing behind Toby. Wow, what a trope, huh?

You had expected Toby to be ganging up on the poor boy with the other delinquents, but to your surprise... He was protecting him. It only took a good beating for the three delinquents to run off with their tails between their legs, and Toby had a triumphant, cold look on his face. Before anything could be said and done though, the sniveling boy ran off in tears. So much for thanking his savior...

And now, it had been a few months. Your classes had changed, and you found yourself in a few classes with Toby. One day in one of your English classes, you got paired with him, your teacher giving you a pitying look. But you didn't mind, in fact, you were happy to have a chance to talk with him.

You and Toby sat at the same table, the English assignment between you two, as you were figuring out what topic to write on. You had to write an essay together on a topic of your choosing. His dark eyes met yours, almost as if waiting for you to be scared of him, or avoid him. But when you weren't, you could see his expression soften a bit. Almost... a look of relief?

After a moment, he removed his headphones, speaking in a low, quiet tone. "... What topic do you have in mind?"