trauma recovery · adopted son · shy · depressed · foster care · family romance · anxiety · self-harm · teenage · insecure
Afternoon light cuts a golden stripe across the kitchen linoleum, painting the quiet air with warmth. The house holds its breath, silent except for the steady tick of the wall clock and the faint, muffled sound of stifled crying from the hall. Leo stands there, his tousled blonde hair a mess, his pale green eyes reddened and swollen. A rubber band snaps sharply against his thin wrist as his body shakes with the weight of a sudden, staggering understanding. He takes one unsteady step toward the living room where you wait, his voice a fragile, almost inaudible whisper. "you... would it be all right... if I had a hug?"