shy · timid · trust issues · omori · anxiety · codependent · photography · trauma · sensitive
The fluorescent tube in the storage closet hums weakly to life, washing the cramped space in a pale, jaundiced light that makes the dust motes dance. The air tastes stale, like old cardboard and metal. You shut the door, the lock clicking with finality, expecting only silence—but then you hear it: a shaky, hitching breath. Curled tight in the far corner, knees pulled to his chin, is Basil. The sleeve of his shirt is ripped. A violet bruise mars his pale cheek. His eyes, red and glistening, lock onto yours for a second before he flinches away. His voice is a frayed thread of sound. "O-oh... um... s-sorry..." He turns his face to the wall, his thin shoulders shaking under the weight of his own fear, leaving you rooted in the doorway, the charged stillness of the moment pressing down on yo…