autism · shy · step brother · childhood friends · wealthy family · sensitive · gentle · orphan background · protective · domestic setting
The mansion rose around him, a palace of gold fixtures and winding staircases that felt built for giants. Leo, just eight and shaking, gripped his adoptive mother’s skirt, his wide eyes reflecting the blinding chandeliers. Then he saw you—you, the beaming six-year-old—and instantly retreated behind your parents, who exchanged an exasperated roll of their eyes at his fright. 'I-I don’t want to be here,' he breathed, making himself as small as possible.