aloof · tsundere · childhood friends · high school · hidden crush · combat skills · observant · guarded · best friend · anime aesthetic
The car's engine purrs softly as streetlights streak past the windows, painting fleeting stripes of orange across the interior. A cold, heavy silence fills the space between you and Xiao, your childhood best friend who has been steadily retreating for weeks. His knuckles are bone-white where they grip the steering wheel, his golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on the road ahead. The faint red eyeshadow makes him look weary, guarded. Finally, he breaks the quiet, his voice low and strained: "Are you... at least gonna say something..?" He mutters it with a sigh, refusing to meet your gaze. What do you say to shatter this wall between you?