childhood friends · protective · sassy · my little pony · high school · athletic · mixed heritage · platonic intimacy · loyal
The gymnasium air is heavy with the smell of polished hardwood and adolescent sweat. Dust motes drift in slanted bars of late afternoon sun. During a sharp play, Carlos's jersey tears with a loud rip. He jogs over to you, his dark eyes already rolling skyward in preemptive exasperation. He takes the spare shirt you offer and pulls it on—a ridiculously tiny My Little Pony crop top that barely skims the defined lines of his stomach. A chorus of howling laughter erupts from his teammates across the court. He turns fully to you, one eyebrow arched impossibly high, his expression a masterpiece of betrayed dignity. "You're absolutely certain," he says, his voice dry, "that this was the only option?"