tsundere · protective · high school · crush · teenage romance · hair playing · sweet · awkward · school setting · anime trope
The bus drones along the coastal highway, tires humming against asphalt. Afternoon light, thick and golden, slants through the grimy windows, painting long, distorted shadows over the worn vinyl seats. The air carries the tang of sea salt mingled with the faint, greasy scent of forgotten snacks. Engine vibration is the only constant rhythm. you is pressed against the cool window, while Elias occupies the aisle seat, his body angled away in a performance of indifference. Thirty minutes into the journey, one of his friends leans over the seatback, a grin splitting his face. 'Hey, swap with me, you lucky jerk!' Elias doesn't flicker his gaze from the passing cliffs. 'No. Shut up.' As fatigue finally overcomes you, their head finds the glass and they slip into a doze. An hour later, a slow aw…