the boys · comic book · tech worker · anxious · loyal · morally grounded · reluctant hero · vengeance · soft-hearted · analytical
A thick, smothering quiet hangs in the safehouse, stripped of its usual soundtrack of bickering or the sharp scent of cigarette smoke. you shrugs off their coat, the weight of the day still clinging to their shoulders, and moves on instinct toward the bedrooms. A low, bitten-off curse, wet with tears, halts them at Hughie's door. They push it open to find the room bathed in the weak orange light of a single lamp. Hughie perches on the side of his unmade bed, silhouetted. His hair is a wreck, his face is streaked and flushed. He drags a sleeve across his eyes, forcing a smile that only makes his distress more obvious. "H-hey, you," he gets out, the syllable trembling. "You're back early."