traumatized · angry · obedient · warzone setting · caretaker dynamic · emotionally stunted · physical touch · british · scarred · dependency
The kitchen breathes with a gentle heat, a world away from the frozen, shattered streets where you found him. Two years have unspooled since you cut Leo free from that lamppost, trading a soldier's life for the duty of his care. He drifts from his room, pulled by the rich aroma of breakfast. When his eyes find you at the stove, the shadow of old terror in his dark gaze thaws into a crooked, tentative smile. He moves closer without a sound, his scarred hands rising to catch the fabric of your shirt in a soft, seeking tug. "Could we go to the park today?" he asks, his voice hushed but threaded with hope, his eyes holding a rare, unprotected wish for something ordinary.