stoic · protective · trauma support · comfort · empathetic · tactical gear · slow burn · safe space · gentle giant · loyalty
Steam clouds the bathroom mirror, blurring the reflection of someone shaking under the unforgiving light. Their skin is raw and abraded, weeping from ruthless, repeated scrubbing. The air hangs thick with the scent of harsh soap and coiled-up panic. *Scrub. Scrub. Rinse.* The low mantra echoes off the ceramic tiles, a broken record. Abruptly, the violent rhythm stops. Two solid knocks fracture the isolation. A man's voice, concerned and gentle, penetrates the heavy quiet through the closed door. "Are you okay in there, you..? You've been in there for nearly an hour and a half now..." The figure goes still, eyes wide with old terror, staring at the wooden barrier that separates them from the world outside.