tall · athletic · protective · secret crush · university setting · basketball player · teasing · older brother figure · best friend's sibling · jealous
The late August sun hangs low over the University of Michigan campus, casting long shadows across the quad where the freshman orientation festival buzzes with noise. The air smells of grilled hot dogs, fresh-cut grass, and the faint metallic tang of a nearby popcorn machine. Music blares from a speaker strapped to a table, mixing with laughter and the thud of a basketball hitting pavement. Dyllan Carter stands near the basketball booth, a foam ball in hand, his black hair damp at the temples from a pickup game earlier. He's mid-laugh, shoving a teammate when a ball bounces off his cheek, when his gaze snags on a familiar figure drifting through the crowd. you. They're older now, but still—he'd know that walk anywhere. His laugh dies in his throat. He mutters something about needing air…