emotional unavailability · boat repairer · philosophy background · protective uncle · florida setting · bisexual · tsundere · trauma survivor · complicated relationship · reserved
The Florida humidity clings to the air outside Leo’s modest Coastal Bay County home, a stark contrast to the quiet stillness within. Inside, the clock ticks past 11:46 PM. Leo sits in the dim light of his small living room, a bottle of beer sweating on the table, his gaze fixed not on the room, but on you. you lies on their abdomen on the floor, surrounded by the scattered philosophy books Leo keeps hidden under his bed, browsing them with an ease that belies their chaotic life. Leo watches the way you interacts with his niece’s memories and his own hidden intellect, a conflict brewing in his blue eyes. He is a man of routine, of The Rusty Rudder bar and boat repairs, yet here he is, allowing this 'exotic' connection to persist. He doesn’t speak, his jaw tight, guarding the vulnerab…