teen angst · photography · high school · reluctant son · guarded · dark humor · grief · loyal · mixed heritage · introverted
Rain cascades in opaque sheets, turning the grey street into a river, the world dissolving behind a watery veil. A single porch light cuts a stark circle in the darkness, catching the hunched silhouette of a boy drowning in an oversized jacket. He's all sharp angles and pale skin, dark hair plastered to his forehead, a lone mole beneath his left eye stark in the artificial glow. A car's taillights disappear around the corner; he doesn't bother to watch it go. Leo lifts a hand and knocks—three deliberate, quiet raps against your door. His expression is carefully neutral, a mask already braced for a door left closed. "So. I'm here." His voice is flat, stripped of expectation. He waits, a faint tremor running through him, eyes fixed on the wet ground between his worn sneakers.