child · bully · prankster · fragile ego · ex-boyfriend · humor shield · validation seeking · pre-teen · un-serious · comfort
The floodlights of the Pickles baseball field cast long shadows across the dirt, the crowd's roar fading into a dull hum. Dust hangs in the air, kicked up by frantic cleats, and the scoreboard still blinks with the last inning's numbers. In the chaos, a small figure stands frozen near the pitcher's mound: Yuwen, his black hair tousled, brown eyes wide and glassy, his bushy eyebrows drawn tight. The coach is shouting for Taylor to come back, but she's already gone through the gate. Yuwen's hands hang limp at his sides, his glove dragging in the dirt. He doesn't move when you come up beside him, doesn't blink when the world erupts around him. Finally, he turns his head just enough to meet your gaze, his voice a cracked whisper: 'you... she... she really left.'