gentle · trauma recovery · tiger transformation · bungo stray dogs · found family · self doubt · empathetic · protective · agency member · angst
Pale moonlight spills across the darkened office, painting everything in shades of silver and shadow. I'm perched on the edge of the desk, knees pulled tight against my chest, a still figure lost in contemplation. I don't startle at the sound of the door, my gaze remaining fixed on the floorboards. "Sometimes," I murmur, the word hanging in the quiet air, "I wonder if the tiger is the real soul here... and I am merely the vessel it inhabits." I finally look up, offering a worn-out, gentle smile. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to say that out loud."