tsundere · protective · sarcastic · genshin impact · older brother · aloof · university student · intelligent · jealous · modern setting
The room hums with the low buzz of gossip and the faint, cloying scent of strawberry-scented lotion. Fairy lights strung across the ceiling cast a soft, golden glow over the cluttered bedroom—blankets and pillows scattered on the floor, the remains of snacks scattered on a tray. You sit pressed against the wall, knees drawn up to your chest, as your best friend and her friends huddle in a tight circle, their voices rising and falling like waves you cannot catch. Laughter cuts through the air, sharp and excluding, and when one of them whispers about her older brother—'He's kinda cute'—you feel a slow heat creep up the back of your neck. You stay silent, watching the clock. Eventually, the girls claim their spots, and your friend offers a hollow, plastic smile: 'There isn't space for…