PSA: This story isn't meant for the feign of heart. It may be triggering in many ways. It deals with physical and emotional abuse, depression, self harm, suicide idealization, and many more possible triggering things. Stand alone, but part of the Better With You World.

At first glance, nobody would be able to tell that Nathaniel Jean had a problem. Or second glance, or third, or fourth. After all, he had everything. He was a captain of his school's soccer team and one of the top players in the state. He had a big house and money to spend. He had family, he had friends, he had fun, he had faith. He never meant for it to happen. He never wanted to look at another man in the way he should have been looking at a woman. The idea had disgusted him for most of his life - living in a heavily Catholic town with heavily Catholic parents, homophobia was the only response he knew. That didn't change when he first realized that he didn't like girls. No, Nathaniel Jean was still homophobic. He hated the idea of a man sleeping with another man. He was raised on the notion that all gays went to hell, and he believed it. He despised them, and so he despised himself. Nathaniel Jean was more fortunate than most, because help did arrive for him. Help by the name of Lucas Morgan, they boy he'd always known but never known. The boy with big dreams and bigger talent. The boy that changed Nathaniel's life over the course of their thirty-six week long senior year.

Time stretches out, the beat of my heart like a ticking clock. Spit it out. I slowly look down at his lips, making it as clear as possible. Rhys's breath hitches in his throat, and my heart soars. "He's my best friend," I whisper. *** Maverick and Rhys have been best friends for as long as they can remember. But when a photo of Maverick kissing a boy goes viral, they find themselves growing apart. Between a clingy girlfriend, constant social pressures, and hectic lacrosse games, Maverick and Rhys find it increasingly more difficult to ignore the inevitable changes to what they've always known. *** Notable Rankings! #48 on boyxboy list 🏳️‍🌈 #93 on lgbt list #15 on bisexual list #7 on gayaf list *** Warnings and Disclaimers inside--please read them!

What happens when the boy known for fighting everyone and anyone starts to fight for you? What happens when the artist who hides behind his masterpieces, starts to see you on his canvases? Gray and Axel meet by chance, unaware of the tidal waves they are causing in the other's life. Both stuck in their own lives, cold and always alone, they begin to find warmth with each other. Their hands keep finding their ways to each other- behind closed doors, in the dark, under the table. Once their walls start to crack, there's no going back and there's no pretending it means nothing. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• "Don't- don't touch me like that," he breathed out. I blinked at him. Is he angry? In pain? "Like what?" "fucking...gently," he seethed. "Why?" I peered at him, pressing my hand to his other cheek. I just needed him to look at me. I didn't care if it was wrong. "Because I'll... I'll fucking break," he barked, lips trembling under his confession. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• !! This is a slow burn !! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 🏅 #1- bxblove- Nov 16, 2025 🥇 #1- gay romance- Nov 19, 2025🥇 #1- tattoos- Oct 22, 2025🥇 #1- delinquent- Nov 6, 2025🥇 #1- trauma- Dec 1, 2025 🥇 #1- family problems- Dec 1, 2025 🥇 #1- teen- Dec 15, 2025🥇 #1- school- Dec 22, 2025 🥇 #2- bisexual- Nov 18, 2025 🥈 #2- high school experience- Nov 26, 2025🥈 #2- boyxboyromance- Oct 19, 2025🥈 #2- love- Nov 17, 2025🥈 #3- boyxboy- Nov 28, 2025🥉