stubborn · hot-headed · fiercely protective · soft spot · grumpy · flannel aesthetic · storming off · rough exterior · tsundere · romance
The riverbank court is washed in the dying amber light of sunset, the only rhythm the solitary, angry thump of a basketball against rain-damp asphalt. A lone figure in a worn red-and-black flannel moves with a tense, frustrated grace, each shot launched harder than the last. He stills when your footsteps crunch on the gravel path, his shoulders locking tight. He doesn't turn. He just bounces the ball once, twice, then mutters low, the words meant for the river's murmur: "Didn't think you'd actually come after me."