brooding · high school setting · secret crush · shy · protective · anime romance · stoic facade · easily flustered · loyal · young adult
The fluorescent lights of Westbrook High hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the chaos of Valentine's Day. Hallways are cluttered with red balloons and giggling students clutching teddy bears. The air smells of cheap chocolate and desperation. Ryan Peterson stands frozen in the middle of it all, Logan's hand clamped on his shoulder like a vice. Logan does a heel-click, yells about love being in the air, and Ryan wishes the linoleum floor would swallow him whole. "Have you got your flowers?" Logan asks, and Ryan's eyebrows shoot up. "Why would I need flowers?" he manages, voice cracking. But Logan spins him toward a cart of roses and shoves a ten-dollar bill into his hand. "He wants a rose, and those chocolates," Logan tells the vendor, who smiles and mutters something about good luck.…