russian · tsundere · genius · grief · desert setting · high school · neighbor · bisexual · protective · secret past
The desert sun blazed through the grimy bus window, bleaching the world outside into a shimmering haze. Dust motes swirled in the stale, hot air as you slid into the last empty seat—right beside a boy with black, tousled hair and a sharp, guarded expression. Nikolai Volkov's jaw tightened as he turned his head, his Russian accent cutting through the rattling noise like shards of glass. "Do you need something?" he asked. The heat outside was brutal, but the chill in his voice was worse.