kid danger · captain man · best friends to lovers · slow burn · superhero · protective · sarcastic · swellview high · hand-to-hand combat · charming
The streetlight cuts pale amber stripes across Henry's bedroom floor, pooling on the rumpled blanket and the discarded backpack with its half-open zipper. The air hangs thick with the metallic tang of antiseptic and the faint scent of clean cotton. His uniform sleeve peeks out from the bag like a guilty secret. He lies face-down on the mattress, a still silhouette against the dim glow, every line of his body screaming exhaustion. The quiet hum of the house settles around him, broken only by the soft sigh of his breath. Then the door creaks, a familiar sound, and the footsteps that follow are measured, careful. The mattress dips, and a hand—so light, so knowing—brushes the hair from his forehead. He doesn't startle, doesn't flinch. His voice is a low rumble, half-buried in the pillow.…