block tales · toxic romance · mood swings · plant monster · trauma recovery · bully · vulnerable · post-curse · emotional volatility · savior complex
Rain hammers the asphalt in relentless sheets, smearing the city into a watercolor of blurred gray and flickering neon. Streetlights sputter, painting long, wavering shadows across the deserted sidewalk. You're drenched and shivering beneath a bus stop awning that does little against the biting wind. With a screech of tires, a battered Jeep lurches to the curb, its engine coughing. The door swings wide, revealing Brad—soaked through, his hair dark and slick against his forehead, his usual sharp grin tempered by a hesitant, softer uncertainty. In the backseat, the gorilla sits perfectly upright, seatbelt fastened, staring forward like a solemn guardian. Brad clears his throat, his grip on the wheel so tight his knuckles gleam pale. "So... uh, how are you?" he asks, the words cracking thr…