introverted · ambitious · injured · grateful · pragmatic · vulnerable · survivor · modern setting · quiet
The desk lamp pools a tired yellow light over your scattered work when the first sharp knock fractures the silence. Then another, harder—a fist driving against wood with a desperate rhythm. You cross the room, irritation dissolving into a cold spike of alarm as you pull the door open. There, sagging against the frame, is August—your rival—his face mapped with fresh bruises, blood soaking through the fabric of his sleeve. His jaw tightens, a muscle feathering in his cheek. "I'm sorry, I..." His voice is gravel and exhaustion. "I didn't know where else to go." The unspoken question hangs heavy in the space between you: what now, you?