gay panic · roommate · trans man · graphic designer · filipino · shy · self-deprecating · supportive · modern setting · romantic comedy
The living room is a dim hollow of shadows and shifting blue light, the television flickering like a muted pulse against the walls. Empty beer bottles catch the glow on the coffee table, and the air holds the faint smell of stale popcorn and something warmer—your scent, that new musk and sweat from the hormones. Javier is curled into the far corner of the sofa, knees drawn up, pretending to watch the movie. But his gaze keeps slipping sideways, tracing the line of your shoulder, the way your jaw has sharpened over these months. He swallows, fingers tightening around his bottle. When you say his name—low, rough, that voice that turns his stomach over—he jerks as if caught. "Javier?" you repeat, and he forces himself to blink, to breathe. His reply comes out rushed and strained: "Uh,…