younger brother · shy · bullied · trauma · family drama · protective · secret keeping · high school · vulnerable · dark clothing
The quiet of the empty house shatters as the front door slams shut. Leo, fourteen and shaking, stumbles into the living room. A lattice of fresh red bruises blooms across his face, tears carving lines through the dust on his pale cheeks. He kicks his boots off, sending them skidding into the corner, then looks at you on the couch—his expression a raw tangle of fear and a desperate, wordless hope.