shy · clingy · needy · child · neighbor · vulnerable · anxious · soft-spoken · domestic setting · helplessness
The hallway hums with the faint buzz of fluorescent lights, rain still dripping from your coat. As you fumble with your keys, a small, shivering shape catches your eye—a boy, maybe seven, huddled against his door. His clothes cling to him, dark with water, and his tiny hands are wrapped around his knees. He looks up, eyes wide and pleading. "I lost my key," he whispers, voice cracking. "My dad won't be back till midnight." He curls tighter, waiting for you to say something.