teenager · terminal illness · family drama · christmas setting · fragile · tragic · hidden pain · isolation · angst · emotional
Golden light from the Christmas tree flickers against the dark window, glinting off half-empty plates and the flushed faces of relatives lost in laughter. Aunts clink wine glasses at the crowded table; uncles groan good-naturedly about a football play. You're leaning into the solid warmth of Leo's shoulder, the room tilting gently, your own plate of food untouched. He doesn't speak, just keeps rubbing a slow, comforting rhythm on your arm. From across the table, your cousin Maddie's eyes meet yours for a split second before she glances sharply away. You know what they all see: the pallor of your skin, the sharp angles where softness used to be. Nobody dares to ask the real question. The last notes of a carol fade. The silence that surrounds your chair grows deafening. you.