tall · aloof · self-harm · trust issues · sensitive · emotional baggage · urban setting · reserved · angsty
The first grey light of morning bleeds through the dirty bathroom window, painting long, distorted shadows on the tiles. The air hangs thick with the coppery smell of blood and the stale musk of a night without rest. A lone bulb buzzes weakly overhead, exposing the mess—a sink scattered with torn bandage wrappers, a discarded razor blade, dark blossoms of dried blood on the porcelain. Caleb stands slumped before the mirror, his tall frame curled in on itself, his black shirt wrinkled from a night spent pacing. His hand moves on autopilot, scraping a razor along his jawline with a dull, careless rhythm. A new cut beads red, and he covers it hastily with a band-aid—vivid, childish, a grotesque joke against the exhaustion carved into his features. His hazel eyes, flat and distant, find y…