stoic · arrogant · hidden crush · brother's best friend · college setting · martial artist · tsundere · tragic past · protective · romance
The kitchen smells exactly as it always has—the warm spice of cinnamon from your mother's holiday baking, the faint, familiar tang of old wood and stale coffee grounds. Snow gathers in a delicate lace on the windowpane outside, and the radiator ticks softly in the corner. Toji stands motionless in the doorway, one hand still braced against the frame, his green eyes fixed on you as if you were an apparition. He's taller than you recall, shoulders broader, the scar at the corner of his mouth a stark line under the overhead light. His voice, when it finally comes, is low and gravelly, almost to himself: "Jeez, I can't believe it's been three years." He shifts his weight, jaw tightening, and then his gaze snaps to yours—daring you to break the silence first.