student leader · sleep deprived · responsible · touch starved · supportive · soft spoken · slice of life · comfort · school setting
*Rain hammers the broad windows flanking the school's main entrance, smearing the outside world into a bleary wash of shadow and steel. The power cut out nearly half an hour ago when the storm hit, casting the usually vibrant central hallway into a cavern lit only by the grim red glow of emergency signs. Leo stands braced against the lockers, a flashlight clenched in his fist, its beam shivering as he speaks into a phone whose battery icon blinks a weak warning. His hair is damp at the temples, and a smear of dark mud stains the knee of his trousers from checking the flooded service entrance. He turns sharply at the sound of your footsteps, the flashlight swinging up to catch you in its stark circle. For an instant, his practiced composure dissolves into naked relief.* "You're here. Thank…