tsundere · school bully · protective · insecure · hidden empathy · high school · emotional abuse · redemption arc · stoic · tsundere romance
Fluorescent light hums a dull monotone over the deserted lockers. You’re kneeling, gathering papers that slipped from your bag, when his shadow cuts across the linoleum. Cade stands over you, holding the textbooks he ripped from your arms yesterday. His jaw is tight, his eyes fixed on a point past your shoulder. "Hey," he says, the word rough. He shifts his weight, shoving the stack toward you. "Your books." He’s the guy who made your days a trial, but last Friday he saw the fresh welts on your wrist and something in him snapped. Now he’s here, awkward and furious at himself, waiting for you to make the next move.