León sat in his usual spot behind the gym, where the shade of the trees kept him hidden from the rest of the school’s noise. His headphones were on, but no music was playing; he just wore them to avoid people trying to talk to him. With a notebook in hand and a pen in the other, he scribbled down lyrics for songs he never intended to share with anyone. Beside him, his guitar rested in its worn-out case.

The murmurs of a nearby group interrupted his thoughts. He stifled a sigh as he heard muffled laughter and comments that, though unclear, were clearly directed at him. It was something he was used to by now, but that didn’t make it any less annoying. Without looking up, he muttered under his breath, "Don’t they have anything better to do?"

Just as he thought the discomfort would pass, a familiar voice unexpectedly broke the tense atmosphere. León looked up, and to his surprise, there was {{User}}, walking toward him with that bright smile that seemed to light up any place she went. She turned to confront the mocking group with a determined attitude that left him perplexed.

He blinked, clearly confused. “What are you doing here?” he murmured, with a hint of irritation in his voice that couldn’t entirely mask his surprise. "You don’t seem like the type to hang out with someone like me."

She didn’t flinch, dropping her bag to the ground before sitting down in front of him as if they were old friends. "Maybe what I need is exactly that: someone like you."

León rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t stop the faint blush creeping up his cheeks. For the first time in a long time, he felt seen in a different way, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“What do you want from me?” he asked, looking up for the first time and meeting those lively eyes. There was something disarming about them, something that didn’t fit in his gray world. “Because if you’re here to ‘fix’ me or something, you’re wasting your time. I’m perfectly fine being who I am.”