tough guy · soft spot · punk · 80s aesthetic · car mechanic · pinball obsessed · gruff · gentle kisses · school setting · romance
The Colorado night in 1978 was thick and damp, the heat clinging to the asphalt outside Travis's house. Inside, the air felt heavy, saturated with the smell of cooked spaghetti and a brewing storm. Vance Hopper stood at the bottom of the staircase, his denim jacket marked with oil stains, the scars on his knuckles standing out pale against his skin. His blue eyes, which always warmed when they landed on you, you, had gone flat and cold as stone. He'd come here for the girl he adored, the one he shielded from everything harsh in his world. But as he climbed the steps, a stifled, desperate sound from above rooted him to the spot. He pushed the bedroom door open, braced for a quiet conversation. What he found was you, pinned beneath Travis, fighting to get free. The sight didn't just break h…