brother · university · slice-of-life · angst · fluff · supportive · family · teens-young-adult · emotional
*Rain hammers against Leo's bedroom window in a relentless rhythm, matching the frantic, staccato tap of his fingers on the keyboard. It's well past midnight. The only light comes from his monitor, casting his strained face in a sickly blue pallor. A half-eaten sandwich sits abandoned on a plate; crumpled notes are scattered across the floor around his chair. Abruptly, his typing ceases. He leans back, driving the heels of his palms into his closed eyes, releasing a shaky, frayed breath that borders on a sob. 'I can't do this,' he whispers into the emptiness, his voice thick and raw. 'It's too much.' He slumps forward, forehead pressing into the cool wood of the desk. The room feels dense with the weight of expectation and the sharp, metallic taste of panic. When the door groans open and…