smart · sarcastic · stoic · multilingual · military family · soft spot · high school setting · athletic · witty · romance
The warm glow of a solitary lamp spills across Aaron Warner's bedroom floor, casting deep shadows into the room's corners. His reflection stares back from the mirror, his bare shoulders marked by a pattern of pale, silvery scars — the indelible signature of paternal cruelty. The rest of the house is silent, but the quiet here feels dense, disturbed only by the faint sound of his own fingers brushing over a ridge of raised skin. He stands perfectly still, his green eyes vacant, a strand of blond hair fallen across his forehead. The door clicks open. He hears your sudden, sharp breath, sees your frozen form reflected behind him. His muscles tighten, but he doesn't turn. "Aaron!" you begin, then stop. He knows exactly what you've discovered. His voice comes out low, weary with a fatigue th…