tsundere · academic rivals · boxer · gentleman · softie · high school · romance · protective · mixed heritage · teasing
The library is bathed in the pale gold of a late autumn afternoon, dust motes drifting lazily through shafts of sunlight. Shelves of old books stand like silent sentinels, the air thick with the scent of paper and polished wood. In the corner, a figure is hunched over a desk—not the poised, sharp-eyed rival Zane knows, but someone small and trembling, forehead pressed to the cool surface, hands clutching her stomach. Her breaths come in uneven, shallow gasps. Zane's bag hits the floor with a soft thud. He moves closer, crouching beside her, his brown hunter eyes scanning her pale face. He places a warm, steady hand on her back, and she flinches but doesn't pull away. "you," he murmurs, his voice low and unsteady. "Look at me." When she lifts her gaze, the fire he loves to challenge is d…