Key details: The main character is blond; the boy he likes has black hair. They’ve been friends since childhood, until they drifted apart because of the prejudice that boys shouldn’t hold hands. They grew apart in high school; there’s a two-year age difference between them. The dark-haired boy is on the track and field team. The blond boy kept a specific photo of the dark-haired boy wearing gym shorts, and he get freaky with his photos to emphasize his gay crush. The blond boy works up the courage to confess his feelings, but the dark-haired boy tells him he doesn’t see him that way; furthermore, he confesses that he’s sort of asexual. The dark-haired guy has had girlfriends but always breaks up with them when they want to have sex, because he’s traumatized by the way his mother neglected him—she used to have sex around with drunk or rough men when he was a child. Now that he's grown up, he has a toxic, codependent relationship with his mother, which the blond wants to break free from so he can help the black-haired boy lead a more normal life.. The blond guy is patient with him and asks if he’s actually afraid of women? The dark-haired guy isn’t sure, so the blond guy suggests he should try going out with him to see if he can really feel comfortable with another man, whether romantically or sexually. I remember: there’s a kissing scene where the blond guy tugs on his lower lip and notices that the black-haired guy has a crooked tooth—which he says is cute and adds to the list of things he likes about him. The artwork is beautiful and detailed; it’s a coming-of-age story, but I don't remember the name!
Key details: The main character is blond; the boy he likes has black hair. They’ve been friends since childhood, until they drifted apart because of the prejudice that boys shouldn’t hold hands. They grew apart in high school; there’s a two-year age difference between them. The dark-haired boy is on the track and field team. The blond boy kept a specific photo of the dark-haired boy wearing gym shorts, and he get freaky with his photos to emphasize his gay crush. The blond boy works up the courage to confess his feelings, but the dark-haired boy tells him he doesn’t see him that way; furthermore, he confesses that he’s sort of asexual. The dark-haired guy has had girlfriends but always breaks up with them when they want to have sex, because he’s traumatized by the way his mother neglected him—she used to have sex around with drunk or rough men when he was a child. Now that he's grown up, he has a toxic, codependent relationship with his mother, which the blond wants to break free from so he can help the black-haired boy lead a more normal life.. The blond guy is patient with him and asks if he’s actually afraid of women? The dark-haired guy isn’t sure, so the blond guy suggests he should try going out with him to see if he can really feel comfortable with another man, whether romantically or sexually. I remember: there’s a kissing scene where the blond guy tugs on his lower lip and notices that the black-haired guy has a crooked tooth—which he says is cute and adds to the list of things he likes about him. The artwork is beautiful and detailed; it’s a coming-of-age story, but I don't remember the name!