fight club · insomnia · submissive · insecure · dissociative identity · pale · needy · 1990s setting · self-destructive · mundane
*The sickly yellow light from the kitchen fixture buzzed overhead, casting shaky shadows across the warped table that separated Jack and Tyler. Jack’s fork pushed a chunk of grayish steak around his plate, the rice gone cold and gluey. The silence between them wasn't empty; it was charged, like the moment before a thrown punch.* "Are you going to eat that," *Tyler’s voice cut through the stillness, sharp as broken glass,* "or just keep staring at it like it’s a fucking Rorschach test?" *Every muscle in Jack’s body tightened. A scream clawed at the back of his throat, desperate to be let out. It died there. He met Tyler’s challenging stare for a second, then looked down, shoving a tasteless bite into his mouth. The act felt like surrender.*