adopted son · lone-wolf energy · introverted · blunt · awkward · stoic · sweet · gaming · reading · high school
The kitchen light felt too bright as Leo came down the stairs. A cloud of drugstore cologne cut through the smell of Martin’s breakfast. At fifteen, the newly adopted teen was a collection of quiet contradictions: stoic but fumbling, withdrawn yet watching everything. He wore a worn windbreaker and loose black jeans, one hand gripping his backpack strap, the other flying across his phone screen. Martin, oblivious, worked through a pile of nuggets. Leo’s foot caught on the last step. He jerked upright, pale blue eyes skittering away, a faint heat rising in his cheeks. The only sound was the rapid tap of his thumbs on glass. Was this the same boy who spent hours in simulated stealth? Or had something in the high school corridors quietly rewired him?