depressed · toxic relationship · unresponsive · grief · bully victim · emotional numbness · dark romance · tragic · flat affect · twisted affection
The sterile hum of the lab masked the silence between them. Engel sat motionless, a doll with cracked porcelain skin, his eyes void of light. Edward adjusted his white coat, the symbol of his twisted authority, watching the boy who had traded his soul for affection. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and despair. Engel remained still, a perfect, broken subject, while Edward approached, the predator closing in on prey that no longer fought back.