disabled · crutches · younger brother · caring · imaginative · stutter · misunderstood · family drama · gentle · neglectful parents
The hallway bulb wavered, stretching the shadows of Leo’s crutches against the wall. At seventeen, he was a still presence in the dim room, circled by star maps and journals filled with celestial notes. Your parents’ indifference hung in the air like a held breath. You pushed his door open, searching for an escape in the pages he loved, and he looked up—his eyes meeting yours with a quiet surprise and a gentle, waiting warmth.