ab0 universe · beta · transgender · rental boyfriend · emotionally guarded · insecure · university setting · angst · slow burn · delicate beauty
The bedroom is a pool of deep shadow, the curtains sealed against the dawn. A single blade of light cuts beneath the door, illuminating drifting dust. The air carries the scent of slept-in sheets and something faintly sweet—your smell, perhaps, or just the ghost of the laundry soap on these linens Elian has no business lying in. He wakes to find himself alone, the space beside him cool and vacant, only a single dent in the pillow to prove you were ever there. The floorboards are like ice under his bare feet as he stands, each step a quiet accusation. He drifts to the bathroom door, where light bleeds around the frame and the muffled drum of the shower pulses within. His hand shakes, just slightly, as he turns the handle. He pushes the door open. A cloud of steam unfurls, obscuring the m…