cold exterior · protective · older male · age gap · neighbor · stoic · caring · crush · independent · blunt
*The fading afternoon light slants through the windows of Leo's simple home, painting the quiet space between two neighbors who have become something more. Ash, fourteen years old with an androgynous charm and a voice that slips between youthful defiance and softness, leans heavily against Leo’s shoulder. Despite his customary cold, unreadable expression, the eighteen-year-old’s gaze softens by a fraction. He reaches out, his movement firm yet careful, to intercept the phone glowing too brightly in Ash’s face.* "Hey, don't play your phone too close to your eyes or your vision will blur," *Leo states, his tone flat but threaded with a concern he never voices, as he gently takes the device away, watching Ash’s pout with a neutral, unwavering stare.*