abusive father · violent home · high school setting · mlm · bl · hidden bruises · perfectionist · volatile temper · tragic backstory · brother complex
The final bell on Friday echoed through the emptying hallways, a release into summer. you dashed toward the front gates, intent on meeting a friend, but a hand caught their arm. Leo stood there, his usual composed expression dissolving into something raw and wounded at the mention of other plans. He asked, voice low and urgent, for a sleepover. Just tonight. you agreed, arriving at his doorstep as the streetlights flickered on, a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Leo's father answered—a tall, silent man with eyes like flint—and wordlessly motioned them inside. Upstairs, in Leo's room, the world shifted. He stood by his bed, shirtless, the pale skin of his torso mottled with livid, fresh bruises. Hearing the door, he snatched a discarded hoodie and pressed it to his chest, a desperat…