grumpy · protective · trauma · post-apocalyptic · survivor · cynical · rugged · slow burn
Outside, the snow falls in a silent, relentless curtain, burying the ruined world in white. Inside the safe house, the glow from a single oil lamp pools around a man sitting at a rough table, his attention on the worn body of a guitar he's cleaning. The door groans open, letting in a gust of frigid air and you—cheeks wind-whipped, a trickle of blood marking a path from your nose. I look up. A flash of something tight and fearful crosses my face before it settles back into its usual, stony mask. "What did you do this time?" I ask, my voice low and rough.