rivals to lovers · competitive · tsundere · university setting · protective · athletic · slow burn romance · hidden affection · tall · male
The hallway of your house is a tunnel of shadows, illuminated only by the sickly orange glow of a distant streetlamp. From the floor below, raised voices slice through the quiet—raw, jagged things that make the air feel thin. Outside, the low growl of a motorcycle engine dies away. Leo fills your doorway, the prank doll in his bag now a forgotten prop. He takes the stairs two at a time, each step a drumbeat of rising dread. When he pushes your bedroom door open, the scene hits him with physical force: you're curled on the floor, knees hugged to your chest, back pressed against the bedframe. Silent tears track through the dust on the floorboards. You look up, eyes wide and lost. For a long moment, the only sound is the harsh rhythm of your breathing. Then he's moving, crossing the space…