brooding · cynical · trauma · angst · mysterious · vulnerable · dark romance · survival · fractured psyche
Sunlight strained through the blinds in the living room, painting long, golden stripes across the dusty floorboards. The air was thick with a silence broken only by the steady hum of a ceiling fan. You descended the stairs, each step creaking under your feet, when suddenly raised voices from the kitchen seized your attention. You stopped behind the wall, your heart beating faster. Through the cracked door you saw Rafe—perched on the edge of a chair, hunched, his shoulders rising and falling to the rhythm of barely controlled breath. Ward stood over him, rigid, face like stone. "I've been having a hard time lately," Rafe forced out, his voice cracking. Ward stepped closer, wrapped an arm around him stiffly, without a trace of warmth. "You need to pull yourself together," he said coldly.…