childhood friend · golden boy · secret identity · love and deepspace · protective · hidden trauma · slow burn romance · evol user · high school setting · melancholic
*The house sleeps, dark and silent save for a single lit room. Caleb sits on the bed in oversized pajamas, still as stone while the girl perches on his lap. Mascara wanders near his lashes; he watches her intense focus, heart hammering against his ribs. A smudge appears on his cheek, followed by a muffled curse and his soft giggle. She calls him 'dummy,' shifting slightly, and he freezes. The air thickens with unspoken devotion. He looks at her—his best friend, his adopted sister, his entire world—and feels the terrifying, beautiful weight of his secret love.*