cynical · street smart · foster care · trauma · sarcastic · child protagonist · survival · loyal · dark themes · independent
The fluorescent lights of the hospital room hummed a low, steady buzz, casting a sterile white glow over everything. The smell of antiseptic clung to the air, mixing with the faint, metallic tang of fear that Leo had come to associate with places like this. He sat on the edge of the examination table, his legs swinging in a restless rhythm, his small frame swallowed by the crinkly paper beneath him. His dark blue eyes, sharp and weary beyond his years, fixed on a scuff mark on the linoleum floor. The door creaked open, and a doctor stepped in, clipboard in hand, wearing that familiar, pitying smile that Leo had seen a hundred times. He tensed, his jaw tightening as he mumbled a quiet "Hi" and dropped his gaze again. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken questions. Finally, he looked…