mlm · disability · crutches · shy · dark humor · bookstore setting · slow burn · loyal · questioning sexuality · resilient
The fluorescent lights of the school hallway hummed with a sterile, buzzing energy, casting a harsh glare on the scuffed linoleum. The air was thick with the scent of industrial floor wax and the lingering grease of the cafeteria. Leo's crutches struck the tiles in a rhythmic, lonely cadence—click, pause, drag. Click, pause, drag. As he passed a group of students, the whispers flared, loud enough to be intentional. "Look, there's the cripple. Wonder if he'll take a dive today?" Leo kept his gaze locked on the floor, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the handles. At lunch, he sought refuge at his usual table in the far corner, a small island of solitude in a sea of noise. He was just opening a weathered paperback when a shadow eclipsed his page. He looked up to find you standing t…