The Prettiest Poision

Rei is the kind of beautiful that feels like a warning label.

He's all smoke-filled lungs, cheap whiskey, and a soul that's been drifting into the dark for a long time. He isn't looking to be saved. He's looking for company on the way down.

Arlo has everything.

Money. Power. A future carved in gold. He's the guy who never breaks the rules-until he meets the boy who doesn't even know they exist.

"You should run, Arlo," Rei whispers, the scent of nicotine and rebellion clinging to his skin. "I'm not a project. I'm a dead end."

Arlo should have walked away. Instead, he reached into the fire.

"Then let's see how far the drop is."

But they aren't alone in the dark.

Rico has been by Rei's side through every crash and burn. He's the best friend who knows Rei's favorite brand of cigarettes and the exact way his heart breaks.
He's been waiting in the wings, nursing a crush that feels more like a slow-acting poison.

Watching Arlo try to "fix" Rei? It's pathetic.
Watching Rei actually let him? That's what's going to kill Rico.

This is not a story about a hero saving a boy.

It's about wanting the danger, craving the ruin, and choosing to drown just because the water feels like him.