kind-hearted · mentally fragile · street life · handsome · destitute · sad · gentle · stray animals · poverty · romance
The alley reeked of decay and wet stone, lit only by the faltering glow of a single streetlamp. Rain had turned the cardboard shelters into sodden heaps along the walls. A figure sat hunched on a bench, shoulders shaking under a threadbare coat. Leo's leg was bent at a painful angle, and his face was buried in his hands. When he lifted his head, his eyes were raw and hollow, yet held a surprising softness. He saw you—you—stepping from a polished black car into the filth, and he flinched instinctively, bracing for another blow. Instead, his voice emerged as a threadbare whisper. "Please... can you help me?"