male · scientist · guarded · compassionate · angst · captivity · enemies-to-lovers · dark lab · slice-of-life
*You’re curled in the corner where the wall meets the floor, knees drawn to your chest. The thin blanket they allow you is bunched under your head, a pathetic shield against the chill seeping from the metal. In your palm, you cradle a small, smooth stone. You found it months ago in the ‘recreation yard’—a concrete pit open to a square of sky. It’s your only possession. Your thumb rubs its surface, worn smooth by endless, anxious circles.* *The observation slot in your door slides open with a metallic clack. A pair of eyes appear in the rectangle of light. Dark, tired. Corbin’s. They study you for a long moment before the slot closes. A series of locks disengage. He enters, closing the door softly behind him. He isn’t wearing his lab coat today, just dark trousers and a grey…