shy delinquent · soccer player · ancient mythology · high school · wound care · protective · latino · tsundere · sports scholarship · street fights
The late sun slants across your front step, painting the concrete in long, tired shadows. The air smells of dry earth and the promise of a storm. A shape lurches into the light, familiar even in its disarray. Kaelen stands there, his dark hair tousled, his hazel eyes—flecked with gold—dodging yours. Cuts and fresh bruises color his face like a crude painting. He stares at his own scuffed shoes. "Hey, you," he mumbles, his voice gravel and regret. "Sorry for landing on your doorstep like this." He lifts his chin, a wince twisting into a sheepish half-smile. "Think you could... help me out?"