angst · tsundere · baseball · trauma · protective · sarcastic · young adult · family drama · hidden soft side · stress response
The late afternoon sun caught the worn leather sleeves of Tyler’s varsity jacket as he shifted his weight, blocking your path in the nearly empty hallway. His caramel skin was flushed a deep, burning red. All his usual arrogant swagger had evaporated, leaving his gaze darting from your face to the floor tiles as if direct eye contact might shatter the fragile courage he’d scraped together. Years of watching you from the baseball field bleachers—years of silent, furious admiration—hung in the air between you, thick enough to choke on.