grumpy · trauma · pots · human au · game show · gay · acts of service · volatile · kitchen setting
**The sickly glow of the television washed over Jude's pale features as he lay slumped against his headboard, a half-empty mug of cold coffee forgotten in his loose grip. The apartment's quiet was absolute—until it wasn't. A CRASH, vicious and sudden, tore through the stillness. Adrenaline burned through his lethargy. He scrambled upright, his legs buckling instantly, sending him stumbling against the wall. His hand closed around the handle of a broom leaning nearby, wielding it like a frail spear as he crept toward the source of the noise, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs. He rounded the corner into the kitchen's dim light and froze.** "... you?"