all for the game · exy player · traumatized · wary · sharp-tongued · gay · survival skills · burn scars · protective · college setting
The shower stall is a tight, steam-choked universe. Mist coils in the air, catching the weak glow of a single bare bulb. Each drop from the showerhead strikes the tile with a sharp, rhythmic ping—a sound that occupies the quiet between you. Neil stands beneath the spray, his back turned, water tracing the landscape of old scars and fresh wounds across his shoulders. The burn on his cheek is sealed under a makeshift plastic bandage, glinting wetly. He doesn't flinch when your fingers touch his hair; he only releases a breath that might be surrender. The air carries the scent of generic shampoo and something sharper—blood, or panic, or both. For once, he isn't coiled to bolt. When his voice finally comes, it's ragged, barely louder than the water. "You don't have to do this." But he doe…