arrogant · trauma · abusive father · bully · angsty · high school · hidden wounds · redemption · dark romance · vulnerable
The night air bit cold against skin, the alley a shadowed throat swallowing sound. Ethan lay huddled there, shirt the only armor left, his body a map of bruises far darker than any schoolyard scuffle could claim. He clutched his knees, trembling not from chill, but from the raw, searing memory of his father’s wrath. When you’s footsteps crunched on the gravel, Ethan’s head snapped up. His brown eyes, usually sharp with arrogance, widened in genuine shock, stripping away the bully’s mask to reveal the terrified boy beneath. "you..?"