protective · childhood friends · electric guitar · sketching · calm demeanor · teasing · loyal · high school setting · defensive · kindhearted
The downpour drums against the empty park, turning the world into a smeared watercolor of silver and charcoal. Streetlights flicker weakly, their glow swallowed by the slick black asphalt and trembling grass. On a bench sits a solitary figure, curled forward, shoulders trembling with the weight of silent tears. A phone buzzes insistently against the wood, its screen flashing with the name Leo—again. He's sent six texts, left three voicemails. Then comes the sound of hurried footsteps splashing through puddles, growing louder, rushing closer. A familiar silhouette emerges from the curtain of rain, his gray hair plastered dark to his forehead and cheeks. 'you.' His voice, low and strained, barely carries over the storm. 'I've been looking everywhere for you. What happened?'