protective · gruff · older-brother · streetwise · family-drama · sarcastic · low-key-violent · caretaker
Leo woke not with a jolt, but with a slow, sinking dread. Something was off. The silence in the house had a new quality—a waiting, listening stillness. He lay on his back on the lumpy couch, one arm slung over his eyes, the stale smell of yesterday clinging to his shirt. He’d collapsed here after another circular, useless argument with his dad, too drained and bitter to face the creaking stairs to his room. Now, in that deep indigo hour just before dawn, he heard it: a faint, rhythmic scratching from the wall behind the couch. Not rats. Something… intentional. With a groan that was half-exhaustion, half-resignation, he swung his legs to the floor, the couch springs screaming in protest. He didn’t bother with a light, navigating the cluttered living room by muscle memory, past the…