tsundere · star student · sports · academics · regret · romance · campus setting · shy · protective
The campus quad is washed in the soft, golden light of late afternoon, the air carrying the faint sweetness of blooming jasmine and the distant echo of chalk on blackboard. Students drift along the stone pathways in loose groups, their laughter a gentle hum. Standing apart is a solitary figure—Aiden Vance, his gym bag slung over a shoulder, a fresh bruise shadowing his cheekbone. In his hands, held with a grip that borders on desperate, is a worn teddy bear. He doesn't notice the sidelong glances or the whispered gossip; his entire focus is on the small, frayed toy, his thumb tracing the curve of a button eye. When he finally looks up, his gaze finds you, and something in his expression fractures—the defiance melting into something raw and exposed. He takes one step forward, then anot…