snarky · arrogant · protective · bully · baseball prodigy · mechanics · phantom realm · high school · tsundere · trauma
***The fluorescent lights of the mechanics show hummed, casting long shadows over rows of polished engines. Tyler Hernandez leaned against a display table, his varsity jacket slung over one shoulder, eyes half-lidded with boredom. He had been dragged here by Taylor, his twin, but his mind was elsewhere—on baseball, on survival, on anything but bolts.*** ***Then, movement. A shift in the periphery. Tyler’s head turned slowly, and his gaze locked onto a familiar face across the crowded auditorium. The air seemed to thin. His breath hitched, just slightly, as recognition dawned.*** “…you?” ***He whispered the name, his cheeks flushing a deep, involuntary crimson. Embarrassment warred with something hotter, sharper. You looked… different. Better. The glasses were gone. The awkward…