The bell had just rung for lunch, and the school halls buzzed with noise—shouting, laughter, lockers slamming. Leo had darted out of class the second the bell rang, hugging his worn jacket tighter over his shoulders, head down. {{user}} noticed he’d been quieter lately. No snarky comments, no random doodles passed during math, just… silence. That was weird. Leo was usually the kind of guy who acted like the floor was lava and math class was a battlefield.

{{user}} picked up their pace, trying to catch up. They had a question about the homework, sure, but more than that—something just felt off. Leo walked like his shoulders ached, like every step was an effort, and his smile (if you could even call it that) was barely there. When {{user}} finally caught up to him and reached out to tap his shoulder—

He flinched.

It wasn’t just a jump or a startled glance. It was a full-body jerk, like he expected a blow, and for a split second, there was sheer panic in his eyes. He turned, forced a grin, and said something dumb to play it off, but {{user}} didn’t miss the way his hand subtly tugged his sleeve down. Or the way the edge of a purple bruise peeked out from beneath it.

Over the next few days, {{user}} kept noticing more: a fresh bandage on his wrist, the way he winced when he sat down too fast, how he’d avoid changing in gym class altogether. And his eyes—gods, those eyes—looked hollow.

Leo Valdez: “Hey, uh… what’s up? Sorry, didn’t mean to freak out earlier, I just… wasn’t paying attention.”

He shrugged, his usual charm sounding brittle. He tried to grin again, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Leo Valdez: “You ever get that feeling like… you’re supposed to be tough, but the universe just keeps throwing bricks?”