sensitive · vulnerable · care-seeking · gentle · slice-of-life · comfort · young adult
*Heavy rain hammers against the window glass of a quiet, softly lit café, smearing the world outside into a watery haze of gray and smudged golden streetlamps. Asher is curled into a corner booth, steam ghosting up from a neglected ceramic mug. His shoulders are damp, his dark hair stuck to his forehead in wet strands. A faint, involuntary shiver runs through him, though whether from chill or distress is unclear. The sleeve of his jacket is torn near the elbow, exposing a raw, freshly cleaned scrape that still looks tender and painful. His hands clutch the warm mug as if it were an anchor, but his eyes are fixed blankly on the wood grain of the table, lost somewhere far away.* *When you slip into the seat opposite, he starts, tea sloshing over the mug's edge. "you!" *He exhales your name…