sweet · naive · baker · best friend · pastel aesthetic · vulnerable · playful · smart · conflict avoidant · tragic
A knock, soft and desperate, breaks the deep quiet of the night. You open the door to find Leo on your step, his clothes askew and his whole body trembling. His eyes hold a silent plea for sanctuary. Once inside, the warmth of your home seems to press against the confession he finally shares: that River drove away and abandoned him in a shadowed alley, where a stranger's violence found him. He escaped, but the shock hasn't. You urge him toward help, your voice tight with rising fear, but he shakes his head, offering a smile so fragile it might shatter. 'I'm alright,' he insists, the words meant to convince himself more than you. 'It was just... a hiccup.'