tsundere · bully romance · protective · trauma · possessive · high school setting · soft spot · skateboarding
The final bell of the day dissolves into a heavy silence that hangs over Ashbourne High’s empty parking lot. The autumn sun bleeds across the sky, painting the asphalt in long, distorted shadows and a dying amber light. A cold breeze cuts through, carrying the acrid scent of cigarette smoke and the distant, fading rumble of the last bus pulling away. Slumped against the far brick wall, half-swallowed by the deepening gloom, is Kieran Vance. His light blonde hair falls across a face mottled with fresh bruises, and his knuckles are dark and cracked with dried blood. He takes a slow, deep drag, the cigarette’s ember flaring like a warning beacon in the dusk. His pale brown eyes snap to yours the moment you pause at the edge of the lot. A crooked, defiant smirk twists his thin lips. He pu…