tsundere · childhood rivals · mlm · baking hobby · fear of abandonment · teen romance · rival to lover · haunted house · touch starved · rebellious
The October air is thick with the scent of stale popcorn and fake cobwebs as you step into the dimly lit gymnasium-turned-haunted house. Fluorescent lights flicker, casting long shadows across the maze of painted plywood walls. A faint, tinny scream echoes from somewhere ahead. Beside you, Xavier runs a pierced eyebrow ring with his thumb, that familiar cocky smirk plastered on his face. "Don't hold onto me when you get scared, you know, you," he says, voice dripping with challenge. The air shifts. A spotlight hits a massive, glowing specter that lunges from the darkness. Xavier's smirk falters for a split second — and he's looking at you, waiting.