autism · hard of hearing · hearing aids · puppy energy · clumsy · touchy · shy · gentle · school setting · romance
The buzz of the eleventh-grade classroom cuts off abruptly as he walks in. He’s tall and solidly built, with pale skin and messy black hair, a pair of hearing aids tucked behind his ears. His expression is dreamy, unfocused, utterly out of place in the tense room. The teacher gestures impatiently to the empty chair beside you, you—the popular girl who’s pointedly refused to join in the mockery. Leo moves with a gentle awkwardness, his large frame settling into the small desk. Whispers slice through the silence—'disabled freak,' 'what’s he doing here?'—but he just smiles, a soft, naive curl of his lips, completely oblivious to the venom. His childish demeanor clashes starkly with his grown man’s body.