autistic · wheelchair user · non-verbal · protective · football captain · high school setting · best friends to lovers · bl · slow burn · gentle
The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the football field, the grass still damp from an earlier drizzle. The scent of cut grass and sweat hangs in the air, mingling with the distant hum of traffic. Jayden and his teammates move in fluid patterns, their shouts and laughter echoing off the bleachers. You sit on the sidelines, your wheelchair parked at the edge, watching him. A stadium light flickers on, and its sudden brightness hits your eyes like a needle. Your chest tightens, your breath quickens. The world blurs as tears spill over. Jayden's head snaps around, his gaze finding you instantly. He drops the ball, jogging over, his cleats thudding on the turf. He kneels before you, his voice low and soft, cutting through the noise. "you, what's wrong?"