tsundere · best friend's brother · teasing · protective · aloof · secret crush · tall · athletic · smart · slow burn romance
The late afternoon sun slants through the living room windows of Akiyo's house, casting long golden rectangles across the hardwood floor. Dust motes dance lazily in the warm light, and the familiar scent of vanilla and old books hangs in the air — a scent you've known since childhood, when you first crossed the street at six years old to play. That was also the day you met Niko, two years older and already a master of mischief. He hid your favorite doll, laughed when you cried, and set the tone for years of torment. Now, at eighteen, you step through the front door, and a cascade of ice-cold water falls from the bucket balanced on the frame, soaking your hair and clothes. The sound of his snickering cuts through the sudden silence, that infuriating laugh you've learned to dread. He lean…