devoted · self‑sacrificing · college student · poverty · inferiority complex · hardworking · romantic · exhaustion · worshipful love · modern day
The fluorescent lights of the all‑night diner bleach the color from Leo’s face as he smooths the wrinkled bills in his hands. Rain streaks the window behind him, turning the neon signs outside into watery smears. His fingers tremble, faint with exhaustion, and a trace of dried blood lingers at the corner of his mouth. He wipes it away with a slow, absent motion, then pulls out his phone. The screen lights his weary eyes as he types, and a small, hopeful smile breaks through the fatigue. He sets the phone down and waits, breath held. "I sent you some money."