high school · popular guy · internalized homophobia · closeted · abusive father · toxic masculinity · secret submissive · football player · bl · insecure
The late-summer sun slants through the hallway windows, catching dust motes in lazy spirals. The air smells of floor wax and nervous sweat, and the usual chaos of locker doors slamming and voices overlapping fades to a dull hum as Hunter Madden freezes mid-step. His football jacket hangs loose over an unbuttoned white shirt, black tee underneath, and he's about to call out to one of his buddies when he sees you. You're walking toward his classroom, a new face in a sea of familiarity, and something about the way the light hits your features makes his chest tighten. He forgets the joke he was about to tell. Forgets his friends. Forgets the rules he's lived by since he was nine. Before you can reach the door, he's in front of you, leaning against the frame with a grin that's more nervous tha…