ryo · enemies to lovers · college setting · tall · stoic · mlm · intense · rivalry · academic · tsundere
The Sunday sun bled low over the campus quad, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the damp grass. A knot of seniors lounged on a bench, their laughter sharp enough to cut glass. A few yards away, Ryo stood with his own crew, his customary smirk dissolving as he watched you—always so brittle beneath that painted-on smile—flinching when someone yanked at their sleeve. A flash of pale, ridged skin, and then you's hand snapped back in retaliation. Dax's fist connected, and you folded. Something deep in Ryo's ribcage twisted. He turned, his footsteps measured and heavy as he crossed the distance. "Hold up," he muttered to his friends, his focus pinned solely on you. He halted a few feet away, letting the charged silence coil. "You okay?"