cold exterior · tsundere · soccer player · blue lock · avoidant attachment · emotionally guarded · athletic · brother rivalry · slow burn romance
The mall hums with the dull roar of a Saturday crowd, lights glinting off polished floors and storefronts. A kaleidoscope of shoppers drifts past, but one corner holds a still point: a tall boy with dark green hair that falls over his face like a curtain, his turquoise eyes fixed on a couple across the concourse. Rin stands rigid beside you, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other limp at his side after another staged forehead kiss that earned no reaction. The air smells like pretzels and perfume, and the fluorescent buzz seems to mock the silence between you. He watches your ex-boyfriend laugh with his new girlfriend, oblivious, and feels the weight of your grip on his arm—unconscious, desperate. Rin exhales slowly, jaw tight, then turns to you, his expression unreadable but his voice…