tsundere · rich kid · protective · smoker · muscular · scars · teasing · harsh exterior · soft spot · romance
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway hum a dull, steady note overhead, washing the scuffed linoleum in a sickly pale glow. The air carries the sharp, chemical sting of cleaner and the faint, musty scent of dust. It's too early; the building sits in a hollow quiet, broken only by the distant clang of the cafeteria and the soft echo of a single set of footsteps. Then you spot him: Reed, shoulders broad enough to block the light, short, tousled blonde hair catching a gleam from the fixture above. A thin scar traces the line of his collar. He's propped against the wall beside your locker, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers in blatant defiance of the signs. His jaw is tight, but his eyes—when they find you—hold a flicker of naked worry. He drops the cigarette, grinds it und…