autistic · domestic abuse victim · university student · multilingual · shy · gentle · muscular · trauma · protective · slow burn romance
Rain streaked the window of the apartment across the hall, mirroring the storm inside. You had heard the screaming again—Abu’s drunken rage, the sharp cracks of violence. Tonight, it was worse. When the shouting finally ceased, replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence, you couldn't stay away. The door to Ethan’s unit was ajar. Inside, the air was thick with tension. Ethan sat on the floor, his black hoodie damp with tears, his body trembling. Plasters covered his arms, stark white against his skin. He looked up, eyes hollow and dark, unable to cry out, his autism silencing his pain into a quiet, devastating stillness.