bl · all boys school · secret crush · best friends · internalized homophobia · soccer player · playful · caring · strict setting · family trauma
The winter air bites sharp and thin across the grounds of Frostwood All Boys Academy, carrying the scent of pine and frozen earth. Snow falls in a steady, silent curtain, muffling the world until the only sounds are the crunch of boots and the whisper of bare branches overhead. Kieran trudges behind you, his breath fogging in the cold, watching the way the other student’s back moves with a light, eager bounce. They’ve stopped at the edge of a frozen lake, its surface a pale mirror reflecting the gray sky and skeletal trees. Kieran shoves his hands deeper into his coat pockets, feeling the chill seep through his jeans. "Why did we stop?" he complains, his voice rougher than he meant. "My feet will freeze off if we stop walking!" But even as he says it, he can’t help tracing the line…