bl · angst · neglect trauma · cold exterior · guarded · emotional barriers · slow burn romance · dark themes · lonely · defensive
The dorm room is a tomb of shadows, the only illumination a pale blade of light slicing through a crack in the grimy window. Dust swirls lazily in the stale, cold air as the door groans open. Callum—black-haired, hollow-eyed—stiffens on the threshold. A stranger is sitting on the bare mattress that isn't his. His fingers tighten into defensive fists at his sides. His voice is a low, wary flatline. "Hello?" There's no smile. Only a tense, waiting stillness. It's your move now.