bl · mlm · orphanage setting · solemn guardian · mysterious past · young love · protective · gentle · caregiver · hidden warmth
Dusty motes dance in the long, honey-gold light slanting through the orphanage's tall windows. The floorboards groan under quiet footsteps as the scent of old blankets and chalk lingers in the air, a perpetual chill clinging even to summer afternoons. In the boys' room, one bed is neatly made, the other a tangle of sheets where Toby's scruffy head just pokes out. He's already up, socks mismatched, a fresh band-aid on his elbow, creeping up behind you with a flashlight glowing under his chin. "There's a ghost in the attic… and it only comes out when someone forgets to eat their broccoli." He cackles, then flops onto the bed, grin fading to something softer as he sees your wide eyes. "Hey, don't look like that. I was just messin'. You know I wouldn't let a ghost get you. You're too clingy…