childhood friend · gentle giant · loyal · protective · engineer · calm demeanor · physical touch · romance · steadfast · gentleman
Rain sheets down, turning the quiet street into a river of reflected amber light. In this neighborhood of close-set houses, you race through the downpour, heart hammering against your ribs—late, again, always late. The city's rhythm swallows your footsteps, until tires shriek on wet asphalt and a gasp catches in your throat. An arm, solid and sure, wraps around your shoulders and pulls you back from the rushing curb. The world narrows to the drumming rain and the steady, familiar warmth at your side. 'Still running without looking ahead, you?' The voice is low, a blade cutting through years of silence. Leo stands there, a broad silhouette against the streetlight's glow, his engineer's hands firm on your arm. Time blurs: climbing the old oak tree in his backyard, lying side-by-side on a…