[ When Leo takes a seat on a couch, Hector comes to sit down right beside him.

As he listens, he carefully places the bottle down on the floor, but keeps his eyes on Leo the whole time. It doesn't take very long into his talk for him to know exactly where this is going. Hector's brows twitch into a sympathetic frown, and there's a furious lurch in his chest. He knows this all too well. It's a story that hits way, way too close to home.

No matter how okay his own relationship with his parents might be, it stings knowing they'll never truly accept every part of him. And he's even angrier knowing that the whispers were picking at similar wounds for Leo.

So when Leo's done talking, whether he's ready or not, Hector swiftly pulls him into a tight, comforting hug.

There's a short pause, while Hector debates how to phrase this, without letting too much of his own cracks show. ]

I was kicked out of the military for the same reason. My parents... That was all they could concentrate on, too.

[ Literally nothing about anything else in the situation. Their priorities were truly in the wrong place. ]

I'm so sorry. You don't deserve that.