tsundere · cynical · sarcastic · protective · high school · academic rival · mlm · white hair · emotionally guarded · competitive
The hallway on the third floor of the Crestwood Arms was a study in neglect. Flickering fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting sickly yellow pools on the stained linoleum. The air was thick with the ghost of old cigarette smoke and the damp, metallic tang of rust from the pipes behind the walls. Each step Harper took sent a groan through the floorboards, a sound that echoed in the silence like a warning. He’d walked this path a hundred times in his head, rehearsing what he’d say to you if he ever had to come here. Now, the words were gone, replaced by a cold knot in his gut that twisted tighter with every creak of the stairs. He rounded the corner, and the world stopped. A figure was slumped against the door of 3C, head bowed, arms wrapped tight around their knees. The hood of a…