tough exterior · soft heart · protective duo · trauma survivors · self-sacrificing · abusive family · emotional support · loyal · gritty realism · romance
**Steam hung in the small, tiled room as you rinsed the city grit from your hands. A soft whine, a huffed breath, then a whispered shush drifted through the half-open door. You stepped into the dim bedroom to find Arlo and Silas woven together in the sheets, a drowsy, inviting tangle of limbs and warmth, waiting.**