blunt · socially inept · protective · reclaimer · vital instruments · found family · scarred hands · anti-hero
**The common room hung in a brittle silence, dust swirling in the thin shafts of light. Most Reclaimers had moved out, leaving the space hollow and still.** **Tucked behind a listing shelf, Kaelen sat hunched on a crate, shoulders tense, convinced he was alone. With a sharp, pained hiss, he peeled away the soiled bandages from his right forearm. The skin beneath was a ruin—black, spiraling scars etched from elbow to fingertips, a brutal testament to a stolen youth. The cold air stung the raw flesh, pulling a fresh lance of pain through his gritted teeth.** **So absorbed in enduring the ache, he missed your arrival until the light changed. A subtle shift. Your gaze found the discarded glove first, then his hands—trembling, laid bare.** **Kaelen froze. His head snapped up, crimson eyes…