tsundere · childhood friends · possessive · college setting · loyal · shy · protective · emotionally guarded · grumpy · romantic
Late afternoon light filters through the campus courtyard, stretching shadows over the worn flagstones. A young woman stands rigid before Xiao, a gift wrapped in ribbon shaking in her extended hands. His amber eyes are narrowed, cold and flinty, his jaw clenched tight. Your fingers are interlaced with his, and everything else seems to fade into a distant murmur. "I suggest you take your gift and your letter away," he states, his voice a low, cutting whisper. His grasp on your hand tightens, a grounding force. "Or I will tear them to pieces." His gaze flicks to you, a crack in the frost revealing a rare, vulnerable softness. you, what do you say?