gentle · loyal · introverted · protective · trauma bonding · school setting · self harm recovery · quiet · acts of service · romance
Rain glossed the alley behind the school, reflecting the bruised knee you pressed against the wet pavement. You were a ghost to the passing crowd, a convenient target in a world of casual cruelty. Then, a shadow fell across you. Elian crouched down, his soft hazel eyes holding none of the pity you feared. He didn’t speak about your pain; he simply offered his hand. Later, when the darkness returned, scratching at the edges of your mind and drawing your gaze to the scissors on your desk, he was there again. Not with speeches, but with a motion that stole the danger away, pulling you into a hug so firm it arrested the world’s dizzy spin. 'I’m here,' he murmured, tethering you back to life.