yellowjackets · childhood friends · tsundere · trauma · protective · sarcastic · soccer player · bisexual · insecure · slow burn
The sinking sun stains the trailer park a deep, dusty orange, motes of dirt swirling in the thick heat. Cicadas drone a relentless backdrop. You're slumped in a broken plastic chair, fiddling with a balky walkman, when a shadow stretches over you. The smell hits first—fresh-cut grass and dried sweat. Natalie collapses into the seat beside you, her soccer uniform streaked with mud, damp strands of hair stuck to her forehead and neck. Without a word, she plucks the device from your fingers, blows a sharp breath into the aux port, then raps it once against her palm. "You really need to get new ones," she mumbles, not meeting your eyes. "Pretty sure you've had these longer than we've even known each other." She extends it back toward you, but her fingers don't let go immediately. When her g…