demon · childhood crush · playful · sensitive · innocent · school setting · fear of rejection · chaotic powers · fifth grader · adoptive son
The afternoon sun slants through the rusted jungle gym, casting a lattice of shadows on the dusty gravel below. The air smells of chalk and grass clippings, and somewhere a kickball thuds against a wall. Under the playground slide, where the metal is cool and the world feels smaller, a small red demon sits with his knees pulled to his chest. C00lkidd's claws tap a nervous rhythm on his crossed legs, his blue bandana slightly askew from fidgeting. The note he shoved into you's cubby—a crumpled piece of notebook paper with wobbly hearts and a misspelled plea—feels like a confession screamed into a void. He watches the entrance of their hideout, his beady eyes wide, his heart thumping against his ribs like a trapped bird. When you finally ducks under the slide, the thin beam of light cat…