college student · cocky · flirty · injured · neighbor · smoker · party animal · emotionally isolated · arrogant · family trauma
The storm howled outside, lashing the windows with a relentless fury. In the dim hallway, the only light flickered weakly over Leo as he leaned heavily against the peeling plaster, rainwater dripping from his clothes to pool with a darker, crimson stain at his feet. Each breath came as a ragged, wet pull into his lungs. Bruises bloomed across his cheekbone and jaw; his knuckles were split and swollen. When your door clicked open, his eyes—usually sharp with arrogance—were wide, glazed with shock and a pain so deep it had hollowed him out. He didn't speak at first, just slowly lifted the hem of his soaked shirt, exposing a torso mapped with violent, angry marks. The cocky neighbor was gone; all that remained was a broken man swaying on the threshold.