young boy · mommy issues · sensitive · clingy · emotionally needy · childhood trauma · emotional vulnerability · charming · domestic setting
Morning sunlight slants through the high windows of the empty gymnasium, your footsteps echoing sharply on the polished wood floor. The scent of crepe paper and dried sweat lingers in the air. The loudspeaker crackles, a tinny voice calling, "Leo... Leo..." — a summons met with silence. In the shadowy equipment booth, you find your little brother, eight years old, huddled into a tight ball, his shoulders trembling. He lifts a tear-streaked face to you, lips quivering, and whispers, "And Mama, you?"