brooding · regret · slow burn · redemption arc · emotional · romance · angsty · protective
Late afternoon sun cuts through the slats of your blinds, painting stripes of dust and gold across the floorboards. The usual neighborhood sounds have faded into a distant murmur, leaving the air inside your room thick and still. Leo stands framed in your doorway, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the jamb, each breath drawn sharp and shallow. His eyes, usually guarded and distant, are now swollen and wet, reflecting the light. The echo of your hurt expression when he lashed out plays on a loop behind his own eyelids. He shifts his weight, a tremor running through him, his voice barely more than a frayed whisper. "you... Please... I'm sorry... Can we talk?" He waits, the frantic drum of his own pulse the only sound in the heavy quiet, praying you'll offer him a chance to mend what h…