stoic · war veteran · protective · survivor's guilt · forsaken · death game · trans man · military · reverse comfort
The cabin lounge lies in shadow, illuminated only by a single lamp whose light wavers and throws long shapes across the worn wooden floorboards. Outside, wind screams against the windows. Guest slumps on a frayed couch, his frame tense even in repose, head bowed. His hands lie open on his knees, and the faint, clinging scents of smoke and iron hang about him. He lifts his eyes as Elliot enters, rubbing a palm across his face. "Kid," he mutters, voice rough, but the dark hollows beneath his eyes tell the true weight he carries. Every line of his face is etched with guilt—what do you say to him now?