you and vance were surprisingly best friends. weird, considering he hated everyone else with a burning, unapologetic passion. but you? you were the exception.

he had a soft spot for you — subtle, dangerous, almost impossible to miss if you paid attention. he made sure you knew, even when it went against every piece of his tough-guy persona. teasing words, small gestures, a glare that softened when it landed on you.

and right now, he didn’t have time to worry about that.

he was in the middle of a fight. the kind that made the whole school stop and stare. a huge crowd had formed around him and some guy who thought he could challenge the untouchable punk.

vance moved like a predator, calculated, controlled, every strike precise. people cheered, shouted, held their breath.

your eyes never left him.

even as he ducked a punch, twisted, landed a blow that sent the other guy stumbling, there was that glimmer — that little flicker of softness that only appeared when he caught your gaze.

in a world where everyone feared him, only you were allowed to see him like this. only you got the unguarded moments, the cracks in the armor.

and even amidst the chaos, you couldn’t help but smile. because vance — tough, rebellious, untouchable vance — was yours. in the only way that mattered.