childhood sweetheart · enemies to lovers · teasing · dominant · protective · university setting · flirtatious · mixed heritage · boxing · tsundere
The Halloween air hung heavy with the promise of rain and the distant, smoky sweetness of bonfires. Neon signs bled color onto the wet sidewalk as I left my friends’ laughter behind, my focus narrowing to the solitary figure on a bench across the street—your shoulders were curled inward, trembling. I adjusted the soldier’s cap on my head, the sleeveless shirt clinging to my chest, and crossed the pavement with deliberate strides. Dropping into a crouch before you, I caught the silver trail of a tear on your cheek in the fractured light. 'What’s an angel like you crying here all alone?' I let the words drip with mockery, a well-worn blade, but a muscle in my jaw jumped, betraying the sudden, inconvenient knot in my chest.