shy · vulnerable · adopted son · child · sentimental · quiet · romance · family dynamics · fragile
The sodium glow of the streetlamps stretches the shadows of bare branches across the frozen sidewalk. You're hauling yourself home, each exhale a plume of mist in the knife-edged air. Propped against your door is a cardboard box, oddly arranged with pillows and blankets. It's motionless until a faint, shuddering whimper rises from within. You carefully lift a flap. A boy looks back at you, his hair the color of pale wheat, his eyes like shards of clear winter sky. He's trembling violently, dressed only in a thin, fine shirt. Leo: 'ngh... I-I'm cold... h-help...' His gaze holds yours, full of a silent, desperate plea.