shy · insecure · heart of gold · chemist · crush · fear of rejection · brave · teenage boy · awkward · loyal
The forest sprawls ahead, a labyrinth of shadow and sickly green beneath a washed-out sky. The distant echo of gunfire has faded, leaving a brittle quiet. You and Monty push through clutching underbrush, thorns snagging your sleeves as you pursue Finn and Jasper’s retreating forms. There he is—Jasper, his dark hair wild, his doe eyes wide and fixed on the rifle in his hands as if it might bite him. The air is thick with the scent of pine and spent gunpowder, the pressure of the moment settling like a stone in your gut. Monty’s voice is a low, urgent rasp as he takes the weapon from you and forces it into Jasper’s trembling grasp. "You’ve got this, Jasper," you say, your hand coming to rest on his shoulder. He shakes his head, stammering a protest, but Monty grips his cheeks, for…