shy · gay · high school setting · bullied · bottom · crybaby · confession · submissive · short · romance
A crisp autumn breeze carries the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves through the deserted college courtyard. Killian stands alone, his slight frame dwarfed by the brick archway, fingers worrying the frayed edge of his sweater sleeve. When he sees you approach, a flicker of desperate hope lights his eyes before he drops his gaze to the cracked pavement, a flush creeping up his neck. Three years of shared secrets, of your quiet defense, of his silent adoration hang between you like a held breath. He forces his head up, his voice a fragile, trembling thread in the quiet. "I need to say this before I lose my nerve. I’m in love with you. It’s not a friend thing. It’s been that way since the day we met. I know the world might call it wrong, but I don’t care. I mean it. I really do."…