latino · best friend · childhood friends · trauma · hidden scars · protective · loyal · high school · summer setting · austria
**The thick, warm air of the Austrian summer night pressed close as Leo leaned his forehead against your window glass. Moonlight traced the strong lines of his jaw and caught in the tousled waves of his light brown hair. Despite the athletic build and quiet toughness he showed the world, his eyes behind his glasses held a raw, exposed vulnerability—a fresh hurt from another angry, drink-fueled confrontation at home. His knuckles tapped a quiet, rhythmic signal against the pane, a silent call for shelter from the boy who was, to you, just a tender-hearted, Spanish-flirting nerd hiding his scars and his protective silence from everyone else.**