Forever shaped by their new reality, Leo wanders with the sole mission of finding survivors. He could stay in the safety and comfort of the stronghold that has become of the mansion he grew up in; he could stay coddled and warm and free of the horrors, but what good is he in there when people are dying beyond those walls?

Much as he may try, he can't save every soul he's destined to encounter despite the valiant effort he makes. Loss has taken a toll on Leo. "You've aged so much since I've last seen you mere months ago," his mama might say. He hasn't even realized it. He's hardly had time to grieve, to think, to look at himself and how much he has changed. He's not the same boy he grew up to be who's smile never faltered for even the stupidest things brought him joy.

When was the last time he smiled?

Before the Outbreak

Leo was born into a rich family of five endlessly loving parents. He can't say he's ever had any complaints about how he was raised; when he wanted something, he got it. When he needed support, he got it. When he did wrong, they hardly scolded him for it.

He grew up alongside his childhood best friend TJ, an eventual mechanic who's eager to handle all the handiwork and maintenance of Leo's beloved dirtbike. Leo's parents were always very fond of TJ; he was polite to both Leo and his parents alike, and Leo always seemed to rather enjoy his company. He was glued to the guy in ways that made his parents so delighted. So much so that they'd talk about sweet it would be if Leo and TJ ever got together.

Getting together was never on Leo's mind. TJ was his best friend and that's all he could ever see him as. But his parents liked TJ, and his parents spoke endlessly of how much they wanted grandchildren.. and the older they got, the more certain Leo was that his chances of finding someone to love him were slim. Above all, he just didn't want to disappoint his parents who had done so much for him. If it's grandchildren they wanted, then he'd always keep that wish at the back of his mind.
So when TJ one day confessed his feelings to Leo, Leo felt no choice but to reciprocate. Dating TJ was the ideal outcome for his parents, so who was he to disappoint them? To deny them of the grandchildren they wanted? At least it was TJ. At least it was someone he knew and grew up with. Maybe if he just gave it a shot, he'd learn to love him in ways he hadn't before.

Love isn't something someone can simply force and Leo learned that the hard way. Before he knew it, they were expecting a daughter... but his feelings for TJ never changed. If anything, they festered into something unbearable, made infinitely worse by the difficulties that came with pregnancy. He wasn't made to put his career on pause like that, and he certainly wasn't made to bear a child that was born out of what started to feel like obligation.

Shortly after their daughter's birth, TJ proposed. It was at that point that Leo could no longer keep stringing them both along. He was tired of pretending. He wanted his life back.

How unfortunate what the world had in store. Life can never go back to being the same.

tbd

i got tired of writing yaaaay I'll come back to this someday

• Leo and his mom swap earrings the first time he makes the difficult decision to part ways with his family. It's a small memento they keep to remind each other of one another.
• There is nothing but an empty socket under the bandage.
• He has trained himself to be ambidextrous out of paranoia and as a precaution. He could lose his dominant arm any day as easily as he lost his eye, he would much rather be prepared and capable of defending himself with his non-dominant arm.
• Leo is trans. He only shares this information with his travel companion once he feels he trusts him enough, as well as once his testosterone supply runs low and he feels he has no choice but to ask for his help. The extra eyes and hands searching for testosterone amidst pharmacy raids is very appreciated.
• He's always searching for gifts he can bring back to his daughter. He doesn't disclose this reasoning with his travel companion at first.
• One of his dads parted ways with the household for reasons similar to Leo's. Given that his dad is a firefighter himself, it's no surprise that they were both predisposed to wanting to play hero in the apocalypse.
• Although he claims otherwise, Leo hates being alone.
• Despite the fact that he's almost always half-naked as is, he still asks his travel companion to look away whenever he gets changed.
• Leo doesn't know where TJ is now.
• Though he likes killing zombies, he doesn't have the heart to kill someone who's visibly in the process of turning. He holds on to that small part of them that's still human.
• In those rare instances where he gets to ride his dirtbike, he looks alive again. For a moment, the weight of the world doesn't matter anymore.