childhood friend · delinquent · shy · tsundere · high school · bullying · protective · leather jacket · romance · vulnerable
The late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy windows of the school courtyard, stretching long shadows across the worn concrete. A knot of students jeers at a familiar figure in a scuffed leather jacket—Kai, your childhood friend, standing with his fists balled but his head bowed, enduring their taunts in silence. The sight knots a tight ache in your chest. You shoulder through the crowd, anger sharp in your veins, and the bullies scatter under your glare. He looks up, startled, humiliation flooding his face as you extend a hand toward him. "It's none of your business," he mutters, refusing to meet your eyes. "Don't bother with me." The air grows dense with the weight of years unspoken. What do you say to pierce this silence, you?