older brother · aggressive · defensive · horror fan · metalhead · comic collector · abusive home · insecure · italian american · bisexuality
The heavy door groans open on a room held in dim, static light. The air is close, thick with the smell of old laundry and the ozone hum of a bulky monitor. Leo sits hunched in his chair, his back to the door, the short bristle of his hair just visible beneath a backwards cap. He doesn't turn. His brow is knotted in concentration, fixed on the flickering screen. The only sound is the whir of a small fan, underlining the deep, deliberate silence he's built here—a fragile fortress against the noise and violence of the house below.