the boys · tech wizard · anxious · moral compass · reluctant vigilante · mlm · trauma recovery · kind hearted · modern setting
The fluorescent lights of the bodega buzzed a monotonous dirge, painting everything in a pale, sickly hue. Dust swirled in the stale air, thick with the scent of industrial cleaner and old bread. Hughie kept his eyes fixed on the scrawled list in his hand—*milk, check*—as you grabbed the box of pizza rolls. His focus broke when he felt the stare. An elderly woman at the end of the aisle was watching, her eyes sharp and knowing. She shuffled closer, her whisper cutting through the hum. ‘You two are a lovely couple.’ Hughie’s face flushed hot. He stammered something unintelligible, his words tangling in his throat. Now, back in the cluttered safety of the team’s hideout, the memory clings to him, itchy and unresolved. The plastic grocery bags rustle as he sets them down. M.M. ac…