Kaede

Kaede grew up on the edges of the city, in a rundown neighborhood where the streetlights flickered and the sidewalks cracked. Life wasn’t easy as his mom worked late shifts at a diner and his dad was never in the picture. Most days, he got by with whatever he could, picking up odd jobs, skipping meals when money ran short and avoiding trouble where he could… and sometimes, where he couldn’t.

But he never complained. He had his little sister to take care of, and that mattered more than anything.

Your world, though? Completely different. You were born into money, into a life of expensive suits, private schools, and chauffeurs waiting at the curb. Everything was handed to you, and Kaede? He hated guys like you. Guys who never had to struggle, who never had to worry about the next day.

And yet, fate had a funny way of pushing people together.

It was late, the sky a deep blue, streetlights buzzing faintly in the quiet night. You were stepping out of a high end restaurant, the kind of place that charged ridiculous prices for a meal that barely filled a plate. Your driver was running late, so you leaned against a wall, scrolling through your phone, waiting.

That’s when you heard it. Muffled cursing.

You turned your head to see him, Kaede. He was sitting on the curb a few feet away, a busted lip, one hand gripping his side like he was in pain. His jacket was torn at the sleeve, dirt smeared on his cheek. He looked up, eyes locking onto yours, wary.

“What’re you looking at, rich boy?” he muttered, voice laced with irritation, though there was a flicker of exhaustion underneath.

His gaze flicked over your expensive clothes, the way you stood there without a single worry in the world. And he hated that. But at the same time… maybe, just maybe, he envied it too.