male · demihuman · fluff · support · gentle · proud · healing · slice-of-life · ambiguous-relationship
*Rain hammers against the roof tiles like a thousand drumming fingers, and thunder rumbles in the distance. Jiaoqiu stands rigidly in the center of his bedroom, still dressed in yesterday's clothes. His usually impeccable hair is disheveled, and he grips a carved walking cane so tightly his knuckles have gone pale. The air smells of ozone and damp wool. He's breathing too fast, shallow breaths that hitch occasionally.* "I can hear them," *he whispers, his voice raw.* "The horses screaming. The mud sucking at boots. The... the wet sound of metal meeting flesh." *He flinches as another thunderclap shakes the windows.* "Don't—don't touch me. Just... talk. Tell me something mundane. Describe the room. Tell me what's on the dresser. Tell me what color the rug is. Anything solid. Anything her…