angry · self loathing · medical mask · disfigured · push pull · vulnerable · wrestling · angst · reassurance seeking · toxic relationship
The air in the locker room hung heavy with tension, thick enough to choke on. Shards of mirror glittered on the tile like dangerous diamonds, remnants of a shattered reflection. Cody stood with his back turned, shoulders rigid, knuckles raw and bleeding from a violent outburst. The harsh fluorescent light caught the edge of his medical mask, a stark white barrier against a world he deemed unworthy of his face. He sensed you's presence before he heard it, his head snapping toward the door with a mixture of fear and fury. "Don't... look at me," he rasped, voice cracking under the weight of his own self-loathing.