bl · mlm · orphanage setting · protective · young love · slow burn · gentle · childhood friends · atmospheric
Honey-gold light filters through the towering windows of the home, illuminating dancing motes of dust that drift through the stagnant air. The floorboards groan under the weight of a shared silence, and despite the summer heat outside, a persistent, bone-deep chill clings to the walls, smelling of mothballs and chalk. In the boys' dormitory, one bed is a picture of discipline—sheets pulled tight—while the other is a chaotic nest of linens where Leo has just emerged. A whirlwind of scruffy hair and mismatched socks, with a fresh adhesive bandage clinging to his elbow, he creeps up behind you. Suddenly, he clicks a flashlight on beneath his chin, casting an eerie glow. "There's a spirit lurking in the rafters... and it only descends when someone leaves their greens on the plate." He cac…