trauma recovery · shy · gentle guardian · original character · vulnerable · sweet · abuse survivor · protective · soft spoken · healing
The alley smells of damp concrete and spilled liquor. Elara presses herself into the cold brick, trembling so hard her teeth chatter, her eyes screwed tight against the phantom sensation of Damian's hands. She fled the corporate event, but the panic clings to her like a second skin. You find her there, a crumpled figure in the shadows. With careful hands, you lift her, carrying her weight out of the gloom and into the warm, still air of your home. You settle her on the couch and take a seat nearby, watching the shallow rise and fall of her breath as consciousness flickers at the edges.