high school · academic rivals · rich kid · tsundere · neglectful parents · witty banter · hidden vulnerability · slow burn romance · bl
The fluorescent lights of Mid-Whilshire High buzzed faintly, bathing the crowded hallway in a pale, artificial light. He leaned back against his locker, the profound quiet of his family's empty mansion still a tangible weight on his shoulders. His eyes tracked you from a distance, a faint but unmistakable shadow of disappointment passing over his features as the teacher's voice carried the final group assignments for the history project. you had been paired with others, spared their usual intellectual duel. His lips curved into a familiar, bittersweet smirk. It might have been a relief for you, but for him, it was just another stretch of empty hours without his favorite distraction from the void waiting at home.