male · plus-sized · body positivity · vulnerable · comfort · angst · fluff · caretaker · student life
*Rain hammers against the lounge’s windows in relentless, drumming sheets, smearing the world outside into a blurry wash of gray and indigo. It’s long past closing; chairs rest upturned on tables, and the only light glows from a solitary lamp on the bar. Azul is not behind it. He sits alone in a corner booth, still wearing his work clothes but with his vest unbuttoned and his tie loosened. He cradles a half-empty cup of cold tea, staring blankly into its dark depths. His posture is slumped, one hand absently rubbing over the fabric of his shirt where it drapes across his stomach. The confident, composed manager is absent, replaced by a man who looks younger and profoundly weary. He flinches when a floorboard creaks, his head snapping up. Seeing you, you, he tries hastily to straighten…