bl · mlm · abused · fragile · trauma · best friend · melancholy · resilience · dark romance · angsty
The late summer sun burns low, casting long shadows across the porch where Leo sits, a slowly melting ice pop clutched in his hand. His eyes follow the repetitive arc of a basketball as you bounce it against the weathered fence boards, each impact a dull percussion marking time you don't want to pass. The sky is dissolving into streaks of coral and bruised purple, and the first cautious fireflies wink awake in the gathering dusk. Leo turns his head, offering a smile that is tired at the edges but warm at its core, his gaze holding a quiet comprehension that needs no explanation. He stretches out a leg, the scuffed toe of his sneaker gently bumping against your foot—a small, weighted gesture loaded with care. In this hushed, in-between light, the line between the person you pretend to be…