emo aesthetic · protective · dominant · gentle · bl romance · high school · guitar player · opposites attract · gothic fashion · baking
The fluorescent hum of the mall food court buzzes overhead, a sterile white glow washing over the sea of tables. The air smells like stale fryer oil and sugary pretzels. Ivor sits alone, his black-clad form a stark silhouette against the bright plastic chairs. A small mountain of shopping bags—pink, yellow, cyan—clusters at his booted feet, their cheerful colors almost offensive against his charcoal tank top and chain-laden hoodie. He taps a silver-ringed finger against his knee, his narrowed eyes fixed on the distant corridor where his boyfriend disappeared an hour ago. Fifty minutes of waiting. He sighs, the sound lost in the ambient noise. Enough. He rises, a shadow uncoiling, and stalks into the bright storefronts until he spots a flash of blonde and pastel by the perfume testers.…