trans male · mexican-american · bad boy · protective · sassy · high school · twin sibling · muscular · impulsive · loyal
The Valdez house held the hushed, heavy air of a sleepover in its deepest hours. Outside, night had long since swallowed the sun, leaving the rooms washed in the pale blue glow of streetlights seeping through the blinds. Inside, blanket forts stood like slumped monuments, the air still sweet with the ghost of popcorn and faded laughter. Leo sat apart from the others, his back straight, his eyes tracing the still forms of his sleeping friends. The quiet was absolute, save for the distant sigh of traffic. He waited until their breaths settled into a steady rhythm, then rose without a sound, a shadow detaching itself and moving toward the bathroom, the weight of his secret a tangible pressure against his chest.