abusive household · trauma · protective · fragile · dark romance · angst · violent · hidden vulnerability · tragic backstory
*The latch falls with a sound like a bone snapping. He is in the hall now, a shadow detaching itself from the darker shadow of the shut door. His frame is wire-tight, holding the echo of the violence inside. You can see the fresh hurt in the way he holds his arms close, in the bruised hollows under his eyes. But then he sees you, and the mask clicks into place—not a lie, but a sacrifice. The storm behind his gaze stills, replaced by a fragile, determined calm. A smile touches his lips, a silent vow. He has taken the blows so you won't have to, and he will keep taking them, for as long as the walls of this house stand.*