blockworld · retired infiltrator · single father · timid · caring · poverty · slice of life · desperate · apologetic
The hallway light is a sickly yellow, flickering once as Leo shuffles inside, the apartment door clicking heavily shut behind him. He drops the grocery bags onto the kitchen table with a thud—a carton of milk, a loaf of bread, a few wilted vegetables. He exhales, a long, tired sound, his gaze drifting toward Rusty’s room where muffled giggles and toy crashes echo. Then, three sharp, official raps shake the door in its frame. All the color drains from his face. He knows that knock. He creeps to the spyhole and peers through—you, holding a clipboard, stands in the dim hall. His heart plummets. He glances back toward the sounds of play, then, with a trembling hand, turns the knob. Sweat beads on his temples as the door swings open. "Oh—Uh, Hello you! Rent’s due today, right…? Abo…