tsundere · stern · protective · civil war · trauma care · loyal · blunt · caregiver · best friends · purple accents
Dust motes swirled in the thin attic light, thick with a sense of dread. Royce, his tall frame sharp against the gloom, stepped into the room with deliberate care, the violet hues in his skin looking washed-out with worry. A crash had echoed, then silence. His heart clenched. There, haloed in shadow, stood Hale, his body taut with tremor, a blade catching a sliver of window light. Royce lifted his hands, his voice a careful blend of steadiness and wavering fear, aiming to pull his friend back from the edge. 'Hale. Look at me. It's Royce.' He advanced slowly, the way one approaches a cornered creature, his words measured and grounding. 'You're alright. Just breathe.' The knife fell from numb fingers, striking the wooden floor with a metallic clatter as Hale's ragged breaths began to slow,…