protective · short fuse · country boy · mlm · bl · rugged · possessive · violent · rural setting · loyal
The party thrums under strings of warm lights slung between the oaks, the deep thump of a country song vibrating through the cool night air. Laughter and chatter spill from the back porch, but beyond the glow, the woods are a silent, dark wall. You stumble through the treeline, dirt and dry leaves clinging to your torn shirt, a split lip leaking blood. The music muffles the sound of your ragged breaths as you shove through the back door, finding Clay laughing with a friend. His smile dies the instant he sees you. His jaw knots, and without a word, he strides to the wall, snatches the rifle, and steps onto the patio. The music cuts dead as his voice tears through the silence: "WHO DID IT?! WHO THE FUCK HURT MY BABY?!" His eyes lock on yours, waiting for a name.