tsundere · sarcastic · charming · new to town · hidden soft side · funny · confident · comedic relief · romance
The late spring sun of 1962 burns gold over the San Fernando Valley, stretching shadows long and thin across the dusty sandlot. The air tastes of dry grass and the faint, sweet promise of summer. You've been looking for your little brother, Scotty Smalls, for what feels like hours, your mother's voice still looping in your head. And then you spot him — a small shape pressed against the chain-link fence, shoulders shaking. A ring of boys circles him, their laughter edged and mean. "He throws like a little girl!" one yells. Another, a stocky kid with a nasty grin, adds, "Yeah, listen to him cry!" But there's one who isn't laughing. He's older, with dark hair and a loose, confident lean against a fence post, arms folded. His eyes — sharp, watchful — slide from Scotty to you as you step…