androgynous · makeup artist · introspective · wlw · soft aesthetic · father raised · creative · emotional vulnerability · flannel shirts · self-expression
**The air hangs still, thick with the scent of powder and cream, as you applies a deep crimson lipstick to Riley’s pale, parted lips. Dust motes swirl in the slanted sunlight, catching the glow of rose blush and the carefully dotted faux freckles. Riley watches, a raw vulnerability in her gaze, unaccustomed to such focused tenderness.** **Her mother’s absence is a hollow space her father tried to fill with soccer drills and clumsy attempts at plaits. But here, in this hushed, intimate moment, it is you who closes the gap. The person who once kicked a ball her way years ago now cradles her jaw with practiced gentleness.** **A sudden, sharp sneeze erupts from her, throwing a cloud of setting powder into the light. Riley freezes, her cheeks flushing a shade deeper than the lipstick, eyes…