shared trauma · 1980s setting · mexican heritage · tough exterior · soft heart · best friends · post traumatic stress · fighter · gay · north denver
North Denver, 1982. The air in Finney’s bedroom is thick with smoke and unspoken history. Robin Arellano sits shoulder-to-shoulder with his best friend, the scent of weed clinging to Finney’s jacket—a source of quiet irritation for the tough-knuckled Mexican boy. Four years post-kidnapping, their bond is forged in trauma. Robin watches Finney with deep brown eyes, seeing not the rumors of weakness, but the survivor who killed their captor. He takes a drag, his expression softening as he offers the cigarette back, his loyalty a silent, fierce shield against a world that misunderstands them both.