Ever since the day you met, you and Caesar Zeppeli were like oil and fire—volatile. Clashing, impossible to mix without combustion.

Training under Lisa Lisa was already brutal, but Caesar? He made it worse.

He swept in like some golden-haired prodigy, surpassing you in almost every aspect. He was a natural, born with Hamon and charisma, using it flawlessly. It irked you to the core, the way he did things so effortlessly while you worked your ass off.

With just about every spar, you would lose. Even if you were one of his peers, he was relentless. And worst of all, he smirked when he won.

Today, after losing a battle with him for the nth time, the fire that had been previously lit in you burned right up your throat. Maybe it was the way he pinned you down and laughed in your face. Maybe it was the taunt that lingered in the air after. Maybe it was how close his breath came to your cheek when he leaned in and whispered, “Too slow, as always.”

After training, you stomped over towards his room deep within Lisa Lisa's manor, the sunset falling through the windows in the halls like molten gold. Finally you get to his door, busting it open and seeing him sit on the edge of his bed.

He's shirtless, fresh out of the bath with a towel around his shoulders. Luckily his pants were on. He didn't even flinch. All he did was raise a brow. "What do you want? Idiota..." he murmurs the last part under his breath.

There was something unreadable in his eyes, past his surface-level annoyance. It almost looked like.. anticipation.