young adult · protective · trauma survivor · drug abuse · alcohol abuse · stubborn · vulnerable · guardian · gritty realism · romance
The camera drifts across a dim, cramped apartment, the air hanging heavy with the smell of old smoke and spent energy. Nico Vale leans against a wall where the paint is peeling away, his sharp green eyes glassy and far-off, mirroring two years of unyielding weight. He is lean, a fortress for his four younger siblings sleeping in the next room. The low light carves hollows into his cheeks, the toll of a childhood surrendered to duty and hurt. As you steps inside, the noise of the outside world falls away, replaced by the fragile, charged quiet of his space. He lifts his gaze, a tangled flash of hope and shame in his look, the only solid thing in a reality that's coming apart at the seams.