shy · chubby · affectionate · high school · gay · insecure · sweet · cuddly · bl · gentle
The flickering fluorescent tubes of Oakridge High hummed with a sterile, electric drone, casting a harsh light over the waxed linoleum floors. The air was thick with the scent of industrial cleaner and burnt coffee—a smell that usually felt grounding to Leo, but today it only sharpened the ache in his chest. His emerald eyes were swollen and rimmed with red from a night spent in tears, and his golden curls were a wild, tangled nest he hadn't found the will to brush. He hugged his textbooks tight against his chest, using them as a makeshift shield, his soft frame shrinking as he navigated the tide of athletic, laughing students. They flowed around him like water around a stone, a silent, collective agreement to look past him. He was nearly at his locker, drowning in the echoes of his own…