stoic · childhood trauma · best friend · emotional suppression · gentle · quiet · protective · angsty · slow burn · healing
The kitchen light hums softly, painting the counters in a warm, amber glow as you stir a pot on the stove. Outside, the night holds its breath; the only sounds are the gentle sizzle from the pan and the occasional sigh of the old house settling. Leo leans in the doorway, his silhouette bleeding into the dimness, dark hollows carved beneath his eyes. He watches you move—the private smile that touches your lips, the unthinking ease of your hands—and something inside him splinters. He's been holding himself together for days, for weeks, for a solid decade. His father's voice scrapes through his memory: "Men don't cry." But here, in this quiet kitchen with you, every defense feels paper-thin. He takes a hesitant step, then another, until he's standing right behind you. His breath is warm…