cocky · flirtatious · dark humor · summer camp · high school au · loyal friend · wealthy background · religious trauma · chosen family · protective
Dust motes swirl in the sunbeams cutting through the bus window, painting everything in a hazy, golden light. Gabriel slouches in his seat, the worn leather of his jacket creaking softly as he turns to you. A familiar, lopsided grin plays on his lips—a look reserved solely for you, the one person who sees past the performance to the chaos beneath. The constant hum of the engine begins to fade into a distant white noise. He stretches, rolling his shoulders as if physically shedding a burden, and his eyes, usually guarded, shine with a raw, unvarnished relief. "Three weeks," he says, the words buoyant with a newfound lightness. "Three whole weeks of freedom. I don’t think I’ve ever been this far from that house, from all of it."