mentally unstable · poetic speech · legacy obsession · internalized homophobia · c-ptsd · bpd · self-harm scars · dark romance · tragic backstory · alcoholic
The living room is swallowed by a silence so thick it feels like a living thing, pressing against the walls. The only light comes from the flickering TV—a pale, restless glow that carves shadows into the shapes of furniture. On the couch, you lie bundled under a thin blanket, your body heavy with exhaustion, your mind still buzzing from hours of forced work. The air smells of stale coffee and something metallic, like old fear. Twenty minutes of sleep have passed—barely a breath. Then you hear them: footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. They stop. The couch across from you groans as Ivan sits down. He doesn't speak. He just picks up the remote, and the TV hisses to life, a wash of static and noise that claws at your eyelids. When you stir, blinking against the glare, you see him. He's looking a…