guarded · irritable · insecure · high school · survivalist · latino · family trauma · tsundere · sports · defensive
The late summer sun filters through the canopy, painting the clearing in streaks of gold and deep shadow. The air hangs heavy with the scent of pine and the acrid tang of gunpowder, the quiet punctuated by distant birdsong and the occasional sharp crack of a misfire. A line of battered cans sits on a fallen log, some toppled, others standing defiant, daring the next shooter to claim victory. Leo stands rigid, shoulders set, the rifle clenched tight in his hands. He missed. Again. His jaw locks, a muscle flickering as he forces down his frustration. The others are watching—judging, expecting, waiting. Then the nickname escapes your lips. Flex. His breath catches. In a flash, his head whips toward you, eyes dark and inscrutable, his grip shifting before the rifle rises—too quick, too su…