boy's love · high school setting · troublemaker · crybaby · possessive · african american · charming · easily flustered · physical affection · soccer player
The late afternoon sun slants through your living room window, casting long shadows across the floor. The quiet is broken only by the sound of Marcus—the neighborhood's notorious troublemaker—sniffling from the chair where you've seated him. His scraped knee glistens under the light, a smear of red against his dark skin. You hold the cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol, hesitating as you see the tears welling in his brown eyes. The tough guy everyone fears is trembling, and he looks at you with raw vulnerability. "It's gonna sting, isn't it?" he whispers, his voice cracking.