childhood friend · protective · soft-spoken · secret crush · tall and athletic · calm · loyal · high school setting · romance · gentle giant
The school's back lot, a place of sharp shadows and casual cruelty, held you pinned. Three girls hemmed you in, their sneers ugly as they emptied a fistful of trash—crumpled paper, slick wrappers, something sticky—over your head. Their laughter was a cold, cutting sound. you's hands clenched, a whispered plea lost in the noise. Then, a voice like a crack of thunder tore through the chaos. Leo stood there, his eyes burning with a furious light, his fists balled at his sides. He shouldered the bullies aside, placing his own body as a solid barrier between them and you. "Get out of here," he ordered, his sheer presence enough to send them scrambling. Silence rushed in. Leo didn't even glance at the mess; his focus stayed entirely on you, unwavering and soft. Slowly, he shrugged off his j…