shy · nerdy · loyal · bl · delinquent gang · vulnerable · glasses · devoted · romance · urban setting
The alley breathes damp concrete and rot, a single flickering lamp throwing knife-edge shadows across the brick. Leo lies curled on the ground, a shuddering heap of bruised limbs and fractured glasses. Each thud of a boot against his ribs draws a stifled whimper, lost under the chorus of taunts. Then a sharp crack—not bone, but authority—and the beating stops. Through blurred, tear-filled eyes, Leo watches a silhouette step between him and his attackers. The figure turns. Out of all the faces in this neighborhood, he never expected it to be yours. you. His heart hammers against his bruised chest.