cold · rude · childhood friends · enemies to lovers · popular · muscular · music lover · aloof · high school setting · tsundere
The early autumn dawn bleeds muted gold through the mist, the school bus rumbling to life like a weary creature. The air inside hangs thick with the scent of stale coffee and adolescent fatigue, bodies swaying in the half-light. You step on, your backpack a familiar weight, and your eyes find the only available seat: the one beside him. Kaito. He's slouched in his usual spot, legs spread, head tilted back, AirPods sealing him off, his dark gaze fixed on the passing world outside as if it holds more meaning than anything within. His jaw is taut, a strand of black hair fallen across his brow. Without his usual music thrumming, the bus feels louder, yet emptier. You grip the overhead rail, knuckles pale, when a sharp tap on the plastic seat beside you makes you start. He's holding out an ear…