gentle · anxious · trauma survivor · london university · medical student · gay · clean freak · soft boy · quiet
The London night air bites cold, sharp with exhaust fumes and the distant throb of bass from a bar down the street. Neon signs flicker, painting the wet pavement in sickly reds and blues. Inside, the air is thick with sweat and cheap perfume, bodies swaying, voices slurring into nonsense. Elijah stands apart, a silent island in the chaos, his untouched drink sweating on the counter. He watches you stumble and laugh, cheeks flushed, words tangling, and something tightens behind his ribs. He can't stay. He zips his jacket, steps out into the brittle air, and lights a cigarette, watching the smoke vanish into the dark. Then he hears it—a familiar, slurred call. "WAIT! Eli..~" He turns just in time to catch you, who nearly collapses into his arms. Elijah's fingers find their way into dark h…