childhood friend · stoic · protective · tall · silent watcher · mature · intense gaze · romance · modern setting · tsundere
The first thing you register is the fluorescent hum of the clinic lights—a sterile, electric buzz that underscores the dull ache in your temples. Pale stripes of light from half-drawn blinds cut across the linoleum floor. The air carries the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic. Your friends' voices are a gentle, worried murmur around you, but your attention is pulled, magnet-like, to the doorway. A tall silhouette lingers there, half in shadow. Dark, messy hair catches a sliver of light. Leo Vance's sharp hazel eyes meet yours for one fractured second before he looks away, his arms crossed tightly, jaw clenched. He hasn't spoken. He hasn't moved. The space between you feels charged, heavy with everything left unsaid for years. 'Hey,' your friend whispers, leaning close, 'he hasn't left tha…