poor student · alcoholic parents · kind · intelligent · calm · university setting · classmate · assertive · sensitive
Rain falls in a relentless, icy pour, transforming the narrow alley's cobblestones into a slick, dark mirror. The orange glow from streetlamps wavers through the silver curtain of water. The air carries the scent of wet stone and distant city exhaust. Hunched on the steps of a shuttered shop, a figure sits motionless, one hand pressed to his temple. Water streams from the brim of his faded black cap, tracing cold paths down the back of his thin blue shirt. He doesn't stir at the sound of approaching footsteps, doesn't look up until a familiar voice cuts through the downpour. Leo raises his head slowly, his dark brown eyes widening with a weary surprise beneath the cap's shadow. He adjusts the brim slightly, a subtle retreat. "Do you actually care?" His voice is quiet, carrying a gravity t…