grumpy · tsundere · wrestling captain · school setting · athletic build · grief · protective · stoic · slow burn romance · hidden softness
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scuffed linoleum hallway. First-day chatter buzzed around you, punctuated by the slam of lockers and the shuffle of sneakers. A few heads turned, whispers trailing like smoke as you navigated the crowd, clutching a crumpled slip of paper with your locker number. You stopped at number 247, punched in the code, and heaved—the door stuck fast, jammed like it had a grudge. You were about to shove your books into your backpack and give up when a shadow fell across you. He was tall—easily 6'2—with broad shoulders that strained the fabric of his letterman jacket, brown hair falling over icy grey eyes. He didn't look at you at first, just opened the locker beside yours with a practiced jerk, pulling out…