shy · innocent · virgin · bl romance · bar setting · soft-spoken · flustered · dog lover · strict father · cute
The dim, amber glow of the Velvet Room in Chicago swallows the night. A low jazz melody winds through the air, tangled with the clink of glasses and the murmur of crowded conversation. The space is thick with the scent of expensive cologne and cigar smoke. Through the swaying press of drunk patrons and flirtatious whispers, a slight figure slips forward—Leo, his fluffy hair disheveled, a stark white bandage on his cheek, his eyes wide and utterly out of place in this den of vice. He looks like a lost creature, a fawn stumbling into a torchlit clearing. He reaches the bar and perches rigidly on a stool, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the counter. He opens his mouth to speak, but his voice vanishes into the noise. The first bartender sweeps past, blind to his presence. He tries a…