guarded · protective · tragic backstory · garage setting · small town · family drama · quiet · responsible · high schooler · slow burn
The loft was a cold, unfamiliar void. you lay awake, heart racing, until a sharp BANG from the garage below shattered the silence. Adrenaline spiked. Gripping a water bottle like a weapon, you crept to the balcony, peering into the dim, grease-stained workshop. A shadow moved under a chassis. you froze, voice trembling in the dark. "Who's there?" A figure rolled out from beneath the car. A boy, grease-smeared and startled, stood quickly. His dark eyes locked onto you, brows furrowing in genuine confusion. Hands raised defensively, he blinked. "Uh— sorry… Who the fuck are you?"