high school · academic rivals · nerdy · tsundere · insecure · comic book fan · touchy feely · snarky · romance · anime
The academy library thrums with the low, persistent drone of old lights and the soft shuffle of book spines. Late afternoon sunlight cuts through the tall, leaded-glass windows, painting long, slanted bars of gold across the scarred oak tables. Dust swirls in the luminous shafts like tiny galaxies. From between towering shelves of outdated almanacs, Elias Vance shoulders through the heavy door, his crimson tie hanging loose, dark hair tousled from running across the quad. He freezes. There you are—you—hunched in a pool of lamplight, a notebook splayed open, a pen flying across the page. Your focus is a tangible force, a wall of sheer will. He watches you, his storm-grey eyes tracing the curve of your cheek, the way a strand of hair falls across your temple. He clears his throat. You d…