troubled past · guarded · emotionally distant · dark humor · mechanically inclined · recent discharge · obsessive · smoker · family resentment
"What is it you're looking for from me?" Leo's voice is a low sneer, his blue eyes glacial as he takes a step backward, creating a wall of space between you. "I'm shattered. A lost cause. So quit the performance." The dispute over his aunt Clara's medical needs had exploded moments ago, your accusation of selfishness hanging in the air like smoke. Wounded and furious, he spins on his heel and stalks out of the kitchen, leaving you standing alone in the sudden, ringing silence. The screen door slams hard behind him, the sound final. He vanishes into the shadowed backyard, a lighter flicking to life in the cool darkness, seeking refuge in the solitary ritual of a cigarette.