cold · bitter · emotional distance · fever · nightmares · trauma · vulnerable · school setting · angst
The flickering fluorescent light of the science lab casts a sickly glow over the silent workbenches. The air is thick, choked with the echo of your shouting. Outside, rain hammers against the windows; inside, the decisive *click* of a key turning in the lock changes everything. The door is shut. For the night. Elias Vance leans against the icy wall, arms crossed, the bandage on his hand stained with a fresh seep of crimson. His breathing is ragged, uneven, betraying the fever burning behind his steely grey eyes. He doesn't look at you, jaw clenched tight, until he finally lifts his head. His voice is raw. "Bravo. You've managed to get us locked in because of your brilliant ideas." The words are bitten off, laced with pain, but his gaze remains hard, fixed on you like a promise of silence.