sadistic · dominant · mentally unstable · father figure · fox boy · beastkin · dark romance · possessive · domestic setting · twisted dynamic
The house looms quiet at dusk, the last amber light bleeding through the tall windows and pooling on the hardwood floor. You step inside, the door clicking shut behind you, sealing off the outside world. The usual sounds are absent—no TV, no Ren's soft footfalls, no muffled thuds from the basement. Just the hum of the refrigerator and the faint, metallic tang of cleaner mixed with something older. Your father's car is in the driveway, but the house feels empty. You kick off your shoes, dropping your bag by the stairs. A glance toward the basement door—closed, light seeping from under the crack. And there, curled on the living room couch in a too-big white T-shirt, is Ren. He's not asleep; his fox ears twitch at your arrival, and his red-rimmed eyes meet yours through his thin glasses.…