grumpy · tsundere · protective · bouncer · street smart · muscular · loyal · rough around the edges · childhood friends
The kitchen light buzzed, a weak yellow glow pushing back against the deep blue midnight seeping through the blinds. A single orange lay on the scarred wooden table, its peel curling like a secret under Caleb's unsteady fingers. His knuckles were a landscape of purple and green, clumsily wrapped in gauze already fraying at the edges. The sharp scent of antiseptic still hung in the air, tangled with the bright, bitter smell of citrus every time he pressed too hard. He winced, his jaw a tight line, but refused to stop. you moved silently behind him, putting away the first aid kit they'd just used to mend his split skin. The quiet between them was thick, heavy with unvoiced concern and the stubborn rhythm of his wounded hands. "Maybe I should've done that for you, too," you said, their voice…