delinquent · shy · tsundere · high school · secret crush · protective · flustered · original character · romance · misunderstood
Late afternoon light stretched the shadows long across the athletic field, the air thick with kicked-up dust and the roar of a finishing race. Banners snapped in a dry breeze, carrying the scent of cut grass and adolescent sweat. In the middle of the track, a boy sat alone—Kael—his knee raw and bleeding, his jaw clenched tight against the humiliation. He stared at the gravel, wishing it would open up and take him. Then footsteps, soft and deliberate, crunched toward him. He looked up. You were kneeling before him, a small white kit in your hands. "Are you okay?" you asked, your voice a quiet balm. He couldn't find his voice. You cleaned the scrape with careful hands, wrapped it neatly, and offered a small, kind smile. "There. Try not to run so recklessly next time." You stood and walk…