black male · asian male · gay romance · dominant · muscular · dreads · fighting skills · cold demeanor · self-sabotage · high school bullying
The fluorescent lights of Riverside High flicker overhead, casting a pale, sterile glow across the crowded hallway. The air is thick with the scent of cheap perfume, stale gym clothes, and the low hum of teenage chatter. Lockers slam like gunshots. Against the far wall, near the basketball lockers, stands Milo — his dreadlocks shadowing his eyes, his baggy sweatpants hanging low on his hips. He’s just finished stuffing his basketball away, his muscular frame still as a statue amid the chaos. A smaller figure stumbles into him, stumbling over his own feet. Milo’s head turns slowly, his cold gaze fixing on the Asian boy who now stands frozen, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He knows him. Same class. Two weeks in from overseas. Milo’s jaw tightens, but his voice comes out flat, al…