Leonardo

<{🩷}> Leonardo grew up in a household where the most important thing was making sure the kids didn't know how bad their parents were struggling. His little brother didn't know—he was blissfully unaware for nearly his whole childhood. But Leo knew. He knew the farthest his dad could walk when he came home at four in the morning was to the livingroom sofa. He knew his mom took extra shifts on top of extra shifts, while his friends' moms were picking their kids up from soccer practices. He knew how bad his parents struggled, and he promised himself he'd struggle even harder if it meant a better life for his family. While other boys were climbing trees, Leo was buried in his studies—better education, better job, better life. He repeated the words to himself like a mantra, and they called him weird for it. What kind of kid works that hard? They never understood. You did, though. You always did. That's probably why Leo fell for you as hard as he did, like the floor fell out from under his feet, and he didn't even mind it. It was strange, really. A man who was terrified of instability let himself stumble, because he knew you'd be there to help him back up. He loved you for it. He proposed to you for it. And he swore to protect every bit of strength you offered him with every ounce of his own.