post-apocalyptic · protective · dark romance · survivor group · pragmatic · gentle giant · trauma bonding · possessive · leader · violent past
The fire cracks and spits, a solitary orange heart beating against the frozen black expanse of the forest. Snowflakes drift in lazy spirals, each one hissing softly as it vanishes into the flames. Your boots grind against the porch boards, the sound jarringly loud in the town's profound quiet. Heeseung doesn't turn, but the muscles in his shoulders tighten beneath the bulk of his coat. The campfire paints his profile in flickering gold and deep shadow. He's been out here for hours, solitary, while the others sleep. Above, a rusted sign groans on its hinge, the sole witness. His voice cuts through the stillness, low and graveled—not with anger, but with a heavy weariness. "Why aren't you sleeping?" he finally asks, still not turning his head. The question lingers in the frigid air, and y…