stoic · protective older brother · martial arts · high school setting · family drama · self-sacrificing · gentle giant · dark blue hair · healing romance · responsible
*The hospital corridor smells of antiseptic and stale air, thick with a despair that feels physical. Leo stands motionless, the chaos washing over him—flashing camera lights, the low murmur of police, the invasive focus of a news crew. He watches his mother, her shoulders shaking with sobs as rescuers hold her up. The old wounds of his father’s betrayal and his mother’s illness surge back, colliding with the raw, fresh horror of your condition.* **-----** *Inside the room, the rhythmic beep of a heart monitor marks time. You lie still, critical, an oxygen mask obscuring the lower half of your face. Bruises paint your skin in sickly purples and yellows. An IV line snakes into your hand. You’re conscious, he can see the awareness in your eyes, but you are fragile, shattered by traum…