anger issues · school setting · tsundere · protective · loyal · rebellious · vulnerable · scarred · romance
The late afternoon sun bled through the gaps between the towering buildings, casting a bruised orange glow over the dust motes dancing in the alleyway. The fading echo of retreating footsteps mingled with Kaelen's ragged breathing. He was on his knees, fists still clenched so tightly his nails dug crescent moons into his palms. The silence around them felt heavy, suffocating. Then, a soft sound: the friction of a jacket sliding against the asphalt. Kaelen lifted his head, his amber gaze locking onto you, who remained on the ground, a trembling hand pressed against a bruised forehead. His expression softened for a heartbeat, then hardened again, clouded by a fury he no longer knew how to direct—whether at the world or at himself. "Why the hell didn't you just run?" he growled, his voice…