COMPLETED [boyxboy] Carson Hughes is a bright light. Vinny Taylor is an enigma. ** After spending his summer away as a camp counselor, Carson Hughes comes back to his home town for his senior year. Things seem to be just as he left them until he finds out his best friend's brother came out of the closet and cut everybody out of his life. Kind and caring Carson can't help but want to understand this new Vinny. Vinny Taylor is falling, constantly going down and feeling like there's no end. His summer leaves him changed forever. After coming out and alienating himself, he spends most days locked away in his room until Carson comes back to town. Vinny's a mystery yet to be figured out. And Carson is up to the task. WARNING: Some of the content in this book may be triggering for some readers. Chapters with triggering content will have trigger warnings at the top with what the triggering content is. There will not be any graphic or detailed scenes of traumatic or triggering experiences. ~180k words

COMPLETED [boyxboy] Mason Maloney has lived his whole life in the shadow of his twin brother, Nathan, star quarterback of the football team. While Nathan impresses everyone in town with his athleticism, Mason spends his afternoons working at the local bakery. His rather mundane life becomes more interesting when his brother's rival quarterback, Sam Knight, gets a job along side him at the bakery. The rivalry between their two schools should keep them apart, but does it? COVER BY: @Grand_ ~166k words

BOOK ONE Coming out was supposed to set Julian free. Instead, it left him with a broken arm, a mother who won't stop preaching, and a silence that grows heavier every day. High school feels like a cage, and Julian is certain he doesn't belong anywhere-until Paul crashes into his world. With his inked skin, effortless charm, and a following that makes him untouchable, Paul should be the last person Julian lets close. But in Paul's arms, Julian feels something he's never known before: safe. As their connection deepens, so does the danger. Loving Paul means risking exposure, rejection, and heartbreak all over again. Worse, it means facing the cruelest voice of all-the one inside Julian's own head. Tender, raw, and unflinching, Open is a story about first love, first heartbreak, and finding the courage to believe you're worthy of both. ::: I could feel it when his body finally went slack, when he'd fallen asleep and soft snores emitted. And I thought I was getting better at this breaking down thing... I honestly did but when I was alone, I seemed to fall apart. Endless serenades of how worthless I'd been and how destructive I was; I was a disappointment to literally everyone and I hated it. My breathing became shallow as I cried for the second time that day, finally feeling content being immersed in guilt. A shudder wracked through my body, tears escaping and Paul pulled me closer as he woke silently. Mumbling soft nothings against my skin and kissing it to slow my breathing, he tried to lull me to sleep, "It's okay, you're okay." Refusing to speak -my voice failing me- his arm came up to wrap around my shoulder and I held him there, placing a small kiss to his tattooed skin in a broken sign of gratitude, I must've run out of tears. And I felt at ease.