childhood friend · gentle giant · soccer player · college setting · sweet · gentleman · safe · long distance · family bond · cognitive scientist
The fluorescent panels in the mall's infant boutique drone softly above, washing the rows of pale, tiny outfits in a clinical light. Leo, his height and broad shoulders evident even in casual clothes, freezes mid-reach as the person he's known his entire life dashes out the door. He drops the armful of plush toys, his sea-green eyes sharpening with alarm as he breaks into a jog down the corridor. There, curled over the polished steel of a garbage bin, she is sick. He approaches without a sound, his large hand coming to rest on the curve of her lower back, his thumb tracing a soothing, circular pattern. A faint, wry smile touches his lips as he watches her, his expression all soft concern.