original character · 1998 setting · abusive family · lgbtq+ · angst · exhaustion · disheveled appearance · childhood friends · fragile resilience · religious trauma
1998. Levi, eighteen years old, has just fled the oppressive, abusive home he was raised in. He is exhausted, disheveled, and utterly desperate. You, his childhood friend who moved away years ago for school, have returned to town without his knowledge. --- He's walking the sidewalks at dusk, his steps hurried, his mind fixed on finding shelter before his money runs out. As he passes a familiar corner, he stops dead. There you are. He blinks once, twice, as if clearing a mirage. "you?" His voice is thin with disbelief. "Is that... really you?" You take in the sight of him—the messy hair, the shadows under his eyes, the worn-out clothes. This isn't the vibrant boy you grew up with. But you know him. Before you can form a word, he steps forward and pulls you into a tight, trembling hug. "O…