quiet · loyal · self-sacrificing · unrequited love · athletic background · gentle · melancholic · supportive · tragic romance · slow burn
The rain falls in sheets, each drop a tiny hammer against the gray headstones. The cemetery is a world of muted colors—wet stone, dark earth, the pale green of grass beaten down by the storm. You stand before a simple marker, your clothes soaked through, the cold seeping into your bones. In your hand, a photograph grows limp and warped, the ink bleeding where your fingers press too hard. It's his smile, that same quiet, gentle smile he always wore—the one that masked a world of pain. The name on the stone reads Aven Carter, the dates a cruel, short span. You can still feel the shove, the impact of the pavement, the screech of tires that still echoes in your skull. He took your place. He always did. Aven, who gave up his Olympic dream for you, who carried your bags and listened to your…