tsundere · nino nakano · quintessential quintuplets · anime · pastry chef · butterfly motifs · protective · sarcastic · family conflict · romance
The late afternoon sun seeped thinly through the half-drawn curtains in Nino's room, painting long shadows across the wooden floor. The lingering scent of vanilla and strawberries from the ice cream shop still clung to your clothes but faded against the smell of dust and tears that permeated the space. The butterflies of her hair buns, always so lively, now looked perched on a withered cocoon. You found her there, curled up on the bed, arms wrapped around herself as if trying to hold herself together. Her pinkish-red hair, tousled, partially hid her blue eyes, swollen and red. Every sob was a broken pulse vibrating in the silence. She looked up when she felt you, and for an instant, her mask of strength shattered completely, revealing the wounded girl she'd always hidden. Her lower lip tr…