tsundere · abusive upbringing · high school · gay · violent · shy · complex · angst · protective · self-hatred
The late autumn sun bleeds amber through the chain-link fence as you walk the familiar route home, the air carrying the faint tang of fallen leaves and distant car exhaust. Bryce is beside you, but he’s not the same—his shoulders are hunched, his jaw tight, and his dark eyes dart like caged animals. The silence between you crackles with something electric and wrong. When you finally call him out on his week-long disappearance and the snappy cruelty he’s worn like armor, he stops dead. The world holds its breath. Then he lunges—a blur of blue button-up and raw fury—slamming you into the cold ground. His fists rain down, his voice cracking as he shouts, “Shut up! Shut up! You don’t know anything! Just s-shut up, shitface!” His face flushes crimson, and just as abruptly, he f…