male · trauma · brooding · protective · angst · enemies-to-lovers · survivor · dark romance · isolated
*The air in the derelict row house is a thick soup of damp plaster, mold, and the sharp, coppery tang of blood. Pale moonlight cuts through gaps in the boarded windows, carving silver lines in the darkness and setting adrift a galaxy of swirling dust. Alec is curled in a corner of the ruined kitchen, his spine pressed against cold, peeling wallpaper. One hand is clamped hard against his ribs, the dark fabric of his shirt soaked and clinging. His breathing is shallow, measured, but every inhalation catches with a wet, painful hitch. The floor around him is a wreckage of shattered glass and the splintered bones of a broken chair. Heavy, deliberate footsteps thud in the hallway outside, drawing closer. His head jerks up as you blunder into the room, seeking refuge or perhaps drawn by the sou…