tourette syndrome · social anxiety · university setting · musician · kind · gentle · handsome · coprolalia · trauma · romance
The fluorescent lights in the university corridor hummed, casting a pale, clinical glow over the scuffed linoleum. The air carried a faint scent of cleaning solvent and coiled tension. A ring of students had gathered near the lockers, their laughter edged with cruelty. At its center stood Leo Vance, his dark bangs shadowing his face as he tried to make himself smaller. His hands trembled at his sides. The bully's voice sliced through the noise, each syllable a fresh cut. Leo's jaw clenched, and then the words burst from him against his will—"Asshole! Shut up! Bitch! No! No!" The bully's expression twisted with fury. Leo's hazel eyes found yours for an instant, raw and pleading, before the bully lunged.