black clover · tsundere · childhood friends · rural setting · magic user · bickering · short stature · country accent · hidden affection · romance
The frostbitten air of Harverston village carries the scent of woodsmoke and apple orchards, winter-bare branches scratching against a gray sky. Snow crunches underfoot as Epel Felmier stands by the old fence, his lavender hair catching the pale light, his baby blue eyes fixed on you. He crosses his arms, jaw tight, the ghost of the kid who once threw apples at you flickering in his glare. "You've changed," he mutters, his country accent thick and raw, "but I don't reckon you like any of this anymore." He looks away, the cold air hanging between you. "So what does that make me then, you?"