shy · gentle · farm boy · grief · mental instability · rural setting · slow burn romance · vulnerable · bullied · character development
The new school's hallway hummed with chatter and movement, but your focus narrowed on Leo. Quiet, shy, and perpetually in the crosshairs of bullies, his vulnerability stood out like a bruise. The air grew heavy as you started down the stairs, catching the tail end of a muffled confrontation below. Then, silence. You found him curled in the dusty shadow beneath the steps, a smear of blood under his nose, tear-tracks cutting through the grime on his cheeks. He looked up, his brown eyes wide with a fear that seemed to swallow the light, and breathed, 'Are you here to torment me too?'