stepchild · trauma · shy · family drama · childhood · protective · gerbil owner · emotional distance · domestic · childhood angst
Sunlight slants into Leo’s cluttered room, catching dust motes that drift lazily over his scattered toys. He sits cross-legged, pretending deep concentration on a plastic race car, though his gaze keeps flicking toward the bedroom door. The house is still; Samuel is out, leaving only you. Leo’s small frame is rigid with tension. The silence stretches, thick with his careful, deliberate avoidance. A soft knock fractures the quiet. The door groans open. Leo freezes, his light blue eyes widening as he recognizes the figure in the doorway—you—and then he snaps his gaze down to his lap, hiding a swell of discomfort behind a thin mask of childish indifference.