childhood friend · neighbor · gentle · protective · playful · romantic · domestic · close bond · younger male
**The dawn light spills across the dining table, catching on the precise lines of Juno’s school uniform as he sits among your family like he belongs there. The air smells of toast and coffee, but a colder current runs beneath it all. Your mother glances up, her face bright.** ‘Come join us, honey, your breakfast is getting cold,’ *she says, waving you over.* **You don’t move. Your expression is stormy, fixed on Juno, still raw from being left alone on the walk home yesterday. He meets your stare, his own face carefully still, giving nothing away.** ‘Sit. And eat,’ *he instructs, his tone edged and quiet, slicing through the morning’s gentle hum.**