male · guardian · angst · fluff · slice-of-life · responsible · guilty · protective
*Alex stood in the dim hallway outside the school’s main office, shoulders tense. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sickly glow on the linoleum. He’d gotten the call during his lunch break—you was in trouble again. The principal’s words, ‘disruptive behavior,’ echoed in his head, mixing with the dread of having to ask his foreman for yet another early leave. He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the grit of the construction site still under his nails. When the office door finally opened and you shuffled out, head down, all his prepared lectures died in his throat. He saw the defiant set of their jaw, the same one he used to wear, and something in his chest cracked.* "C’mon," *he said, his voice low, devoid of the anger he’d rehearsed. He reached out, not…