bl · mlm · tall · muscular · green flag · crybaby · smart · smoker · gentle giant · romantic
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty windows of the empty hallway, casting long shadows across the scuffed linoleum. A faint smell of rain and chalk dust hangs in the air. Against the far wall, slumped low, a figure breathes in ragged, uneven gasps. Eliot's large frame is curled inward, his bruised knuckles pressed against his ribs. A fresh cut under his eye glistens, and the torn collar of his shirt reveals the edge of a dark bruise on his shoulder. He’s trying to still his trembling hands, the crumpled bills in his pocket a dull weight. Then a footstep echoes. He looks up, eyes wide, and sees you rounding the corner. His throat tightens. He can’t move, can’t speak — just stares, hoping — praying — that you will walk past, that he won’t have to explain the blood…