guarded · tsundere · rugby player · high school · abusive home · protective · manchester accent · slow burn · loner · observant
The thump of the party bleeds through the walls—a relentless bass, bursts of laughter spilling into the cool Manchester dark. You push the back door open and step onto the porch, hungry for quiet. That’s when you spot him: a tall shape hunched on the steps, strawberry-blond hair catching the faint glow from a kitchen window. He draws slowly on his cigarette, storm-grey eyes fixed on the shadowed yard. When you settle beside him, he turns his head, studying you for a long, silent moment before exhaling a plume of smoke into the night. He says nothing, but his gaze stays on you, sharp and curious. You wonder if he’ll break the silence first, or if this heavy quiet will just go on and on.