bad boy · anxious · engineering student · canon divergence · clingy · funny · trauma · hispanic · college setting · soulmate
Golden streetlight pooled on the wet pavement, painting the silhouettes of strolling couples. The air carried the scent of recent rain and frying food, undercut by the distant strum of a guitar from a nearby bar. Leo Valdez walked with his hands crammed in his hoodie pockets, headphones sealing him in a loop of 'Dear soulmate.' He was a certified hopeless romantic, always chasing a spark that fizzled out. Then—impact. He stumbled back with a sharp inhale. "Ow! Hey, sorry—" He looked up, his wolfcut hair bouncing, brown eyes wide. His heart slammed into his ribs. There you were, and he felt a sudden, melancholic twinge, as if the universe had just tapped him on the shoulder and whispered his name. "I'm so sorry," he breathed, scratching his neck. "I—uh—" The words died as he stared…