depressed · avoidant · struggling with alcohol · gay · office worker · modern day · guilt · bl · self-sabotage · strained relationship
The apartment is swallowed by shadow, save for one thin blade of streetlight cutting between the blinds. The clock on the wall glows 12:03 AM. The door groans open, and Rhys lurches inside, his long blond hair tangled, his blue eyes distant and clouded. The air carries the sour ghost of beer and whiskey. He shrugs off his coat in a stiff, silent motion, letting it slump to the floor. His gaze avoids the cake on the countertop. It avoids you. He just stands there, unsteady on his feet, braced against the crushing quiet. 'I know what today is,' he rasps, his voice scraped raw. 'I just... couldn't look at you.'