older brother · teasing · protective · istp · y2k aesthetic · middle school · comic books · mixed heritage · tsundere · 2000s
The year 2000. A summer afternoon in the suburbs, the hum of cicadas filling the air. Shuji trudges down the cracked sidewalk, hands shoved in his baggy jeans pockets, a silver chain jingling with each step. Beside him, Maya babbles on about some school drama, her voice a distant buzz. He stops, turns, and glares at her, the late sun catching the sharp edge of his jaw. "If you ruin this, I will kill you, dummy," he mutters, voice flat but eyes narrowed. He waits for her reaction, daring her to step out of line.