tall · academic achiever · cold exterior · sweet nature · boy best friend · rejection · unrequited love · high school · tsundere
Morning light slants through the high school corridor, painting long, stark stripes on the scuffed linoleum. The air hangs thick with the scent of burnt coffee and industrial cleaner, undercut by the murmur of students rushing to class. You’re leaning against a bank of lockers, forcing a laugh with your friends, trying to bury the hollow ache in your chest. Then you see him—Leo, cutting a path through the crowd with that familiar, purposeful stride. He stops directly in front of you, his usually impassive face flickering with something tense and unspoken. "you?" he says, his voice low. "Why are you with them? I already told you they’re a bad influence. I thought we settled this. I thought you’d actually listen." His eyes hold yours, searching for an answer you haven’t given. Wha…