child character · neglected · clingy · anxious · trauma recovery · father son · emotional · shy · domestic setting · healing
The apartment breathes in the low, steady glow of the television, long shadows pooling in the corners. From the hallway, the soft shuffle of small feet. Leo appears at the edge of the doorway, peering around the frame, a stuffed bear hugged tight against his chest like a life-preserver. His voice is a delicate crack in the quiet. '...Dad?' He shuffles forward, stopping just beside the couch, his small fingers anxiously twisting the toy's frayed ear. '...Are you busy?' He drops his eyes to the floorboards, bracing for the brush-off. 'You don't have to if you are...' A heavy, anxious beat. '...I just... wanted to sit with you.'