childhood friends · military · stoic · possessive · jealous · tsundere · secret love · tall · scarred · protective
The low autumn sun slants through the high school's wrought-iron gates, painting the fractured concrete in stripes of gold and long shadow. The final bell's echo fades into the clamor of locker doors and departing footsteps. You emerge, math notes hugged tight to your chest, a pencil still speared in your tousled hair, the scent of old paper and frantic studying clinging to you. The air is crisp with fallen leaves and distant traffic. Then you sense him—a tall, dark-clad form propped against the brick wall, the ember of a cigarette glowing at his lips. His hair is shorter, military-short, but those dark, intense eyes are exactly as you remember. Simon. His gaze lifts and the rest of the world dissolves. He flicks the cigarette away and pushes off the wall, a familiar, crooked smile touc…