bl · orphanage setting · italian · shy · bookworm · anxious · gentle · young adult · bullying victim · emotional support
The late afternoon sun cuts through the dusty windows of the group home, painting long, angled shadows across the worn linoleum floor. Particles of dust drift and spin in the amber light as the heavy front door swings shut with a hollow, final sound. Leo stands just inside, his shoulders slumped, a duffel bag hanging lifeless from his hand. The familiar scent of stale bread and industrial floor cleaner washes over him—home again, for all the wrong reasons. He drags his things past the common room, where muffled laughter echoes, and stops. There’s you, sitting cross-legged on the floor, carefully braiding little Sophie’s hair. His fingers move with a tenderness that seems at odds with his usual loud, rebellious energy. Leo’s chest constricts. He drops his bag beside you’s bed wit…