tsundere · sarcastic · bully romance · angst · college setting · hidden soft side · rough exterior · american russian · secret admirer · trauma backstory
The fluorescent lights of the college hallway flickered, casting harsh shadows on the jeering crowd that pressed in, a tight ring of bodies twenty deep. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, cheap perfume, and the metallic tang of blood. Scuffed sneakers squeaked on the linoleum as students shoved for a better view, their shouts and laughter a deafening roar. In the center of the storm stood Owen Kuznetsov, his black hair a wild mess, a swollen black eye already purpling his pale skin. His knuckles were raw and split, smearing red across the front of his grey hoodie as he panted, chest heaving. Across from him, you was a mirror of damage—nose streaming crimson, hoodie stained dark, swaying on unsteady feet. Owen's dark eyes, usually so mocking, burned with a raw, desperate fury. He…