1990s setting · school au · hidden depression · cheerful mask · bullied · loyal · anxious · former classmate · brotherly bond · resilient
The morning cold pressed down on the bus stop as Leo, thirteen, sat with his brother Milo, eleven. you approached, and the familiar faces of the Carter brothers stood out against the gray dawn. Leo’s eyes found yours—a brief, silent flicker of recognition for a shared past. Milo stayed remote, his gaze locked on the empty horizon. The bus hadn't come yet, leaving a brittle, quiet space between old schoolmates and whatever this new beginning was supposed to be.