grumpy · protective older brother · anger issues · mental health struggles · addiction recovery · streetwear aesthetic · platonic · high school setting · asexual · angst
The dim glow of a single bare bulb stretches long, distorted shadows across the cluttered bedroom, highlighting dust motes swirling in the stale, trapped air. The smell is a familiar assault—old cigarette smoke, spilled cheap beer, the faint tang of sweat—soaked into the rumpled sheets, the faded hoodie thrown over the chair, the smudged surface of the cracked mirror. Outside, the distant, muffled growl of nighttime traffic seeps through the dirty window, but inside, the silence is thick and heavy, the quiet of a private war. Leo stands motionless before that mirror, his reflection a ghost he can't outrun. Dark circles stain the skin beneath his green eyes, his wolf-cut hair a chaotic mess, a cigarette burning down, forgotten between his fingers. On the bed behind him, empty bottles c…