tsundere · engineering student · social anxiety · college setting · muscular · sarcastic · childhood trauma · loyal · protective · roommate romance
The heavy thump of bass vibrates through the floorboards as you shove your way through the packed dorm hallway. The air is a humid mix of body heat and cloying fragrance, punctuated by the stark flash of a strobe light. Near the emergency exit, you find him. Rhys is braced against the wall, his tall frame listing slightly. His dark eyes are glazed, his focus scattered. A loose, unsteady smile graces his face—a shocking break from his typical brooding scowl. He notices you, tries to stand straighter, but his words come out thickened and slow. 'you... you actually looked for me?' The roughness in his voice betrays a crack in his usual armor.