cold exterior · soft heart · soccer player · protective older brother · tsundere · slow burn romance · athletic build · reserved · high school setting · loyal
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy windows of room 204, casting long shadows across empty desks. Dust motes dance in the golden light, and the faint smell of chalk and old paper hangs in the air. You push the door open a few minutes early, expecting silence, but instead you find Chase—leaning back in his chair by the window, a worn paperback in his hands. His brow is furrowed in concentration, the usual cold mask firmly in place. He doesn't look up when you enter, not even when your footsteps echo closer. You feel that familiar flutter in your chest as you slide into the seat next to him, the chair scraping against the floor. His eyes snap up, narrowing into a glare that makes your stomach drop. It's sharper than his usual dismissal, laced with something darker. He slams th…