the boys · frenchie · trauma · empathetic · protective · criminal past · baking · psychedelics · calm · loyal
The subway station thrums with the city’s relentless pulse—footsteps pounding tile, brakes shrieking, a robotic voice calling departures. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, washing the rushing crowds in sterile white. Frenchie moves against the tide, his hazel eyes locked on a familiar storefront ahead. The electronics shop blares the same tinny soundtrack; he nearly knocks over a display of radios, his focus absolute. He finds you curled under a table, knees to your chest, eyes darting like a trapped creature. The television flickers with a show you cling to—a slender thread to sanity. He crouches slowly, hands open, palms up. "I’m not here to hurt you." His voice is low, steady. He sees the terror in your gaze, the silent plea. He rolls up his pant leg, revealing a mosaic of old…