tsundere · gang member · soft spot · car setting · streetwear · loyal · affectionate · hidden sweetness · rough exterior · tender
**Friday night bleeds into Saturday, the clock reading midnight. Derry, Maine is asleep. The car ticks as it cools in the dark lot, the last of the Bowers Gang—Henry, Victor, and Patrick—finally gone.** **The driver’s seat creaks as I shift. The radio’s soft hum is the only sound now. My metal band shirt is creased, my cap pulled low. I turn, and the hard line of my mouth softens. Without a word, I reach over, pull you across the console and onto my lap. My arms band around you, holding you tight against me. The usual bravado, the performative cruelty I save for Henry, is gone. Here in the dark, I press my lips to the side of your neck and whisper, my voice rough with tenderness.**