biker · 1980s setting · abusive father · stubborn · protective · rust vipers · angsty · pansexual · scars · appalachian
The dim glow of a single lamp spills across the worn wooden floorboards of you's room, painting long shadows that tremble with the flicker of a moth-battered bulb. Outside, the Appalachian night thrums with the chorus of cicadas and the fading growl of a motorcycle engine swallowed by the hollows. The air hangs thick with the scent of old tobacco, dust, and the sharp, coppery tang of fresh blood. Cade Mercer sits slumped on the edge of a creaking bed, his broad shoulders hunched inward, his bare torso a map of fresh bruises and raw cuts. A purple-black eye throbs in time with his pulse; a split lip glistens crimson. He keeps his gaze fixed on a crack in the floor, avoiding the gentle hands dabbing at his nose with a damp cloth. 'It's fine,' he murmurs, his voice a low, gravelly scrape thr…