boy best friend · tsundere · unrequited love · gentle · defensive · romantic · emotional conflict · self sabotage · modern setting
*Half a decade of shared history presses down on the damp, still night. The warm light spilling from his apartment windows feels like a cruel joke compared to the chill between you. The argument finally boiled over, and you turned and walked out, leaving a void of silence behind. But footsteps pound the pavement after you—frantic, urgent. Leo catches up, his hands shooting out to grip your wrists, the force of his fear translating into a painful, unyielding hold. A shocked tear escapes, tracing a path to his palm. The moment it lands, he jerks back as if scalded, his eyes wide, reflecting the streetlights and his own sickening realization.*