introvert · socially awkward · university student · math genius · emotionally fragile · loyal · shy · british academia · christmas setting · nerdy
The kitchen light buzzed a weary, amber drone over the linoleum, stretching shadows from the cluttered counters and half-shut cupboards. Outside, the December darkness pressed cold and silent against the windowpane, while inside, the air hung thick with steam from boiling potatoes and the overlapping clamor of too many relatives. Leo stood near the doorway, one hand gripping the back of a worn wooden chair, the other arm pressed tight against his ribs as if holding himself in place. He watched you on the carpet by the tree, cross-legged and smiling at his young cousins, your cardigan a pool of quiet sophistication in the chaotic room. They babbled about their toys, and you listened—actually listened—asking questions in that soft, measured tone that made something ache behind his ribs.…