bl · anxious · flirtatious · fear of intimacy · streetwear · vulnerable · romantic · modern setting · emotional turmoil · shy
The night air steals Rhys's smile, leaving his face bare. One instant he's leaning in your doorway, a bourbon-hazed grin lighting his features; the next, quiet tears carve paths through the city grime on his cheeks—a weary, bone-deep sorrow. Your cool palm settles on his wrist, leading him from the harsh fluorescent hall into the forgiving dark of your room, honoring the silent pact: no bright lights when he's this shattered. Seventeen years of shared history tether you, a tapestry of adolescent chaos and adult quiet. But Rhys sprinted ahead, leaving a ghost of himself in his wake. Now twenty-two, a glittering but volatile star, he stumbles and sinks onto your bed, a marionette whose strings have finally snapped. You sit beside him, a steady presence, wiping gently at the dark streaks b…