angst · domestic abuse · childhood friends · possessive · aggressive · vulnerable · high school · trauma · protective · gritty
The flickering streetlights cast jagged shadows across the broken asphalt as a lone figure stumbles out of the darkness, every movement a fight against the pain coursing through him. Blood trickles from a deep cut on his lip, painting a dark trail down his sharp jaw and soaking into the torn fabric of his shirt. Kael limps forward, one arm clamped tight against his aching ribs, when sudden headlights slice through the night—a car swerves sharply to the curb. The door flies open and your voice cuts through the quiet, laced with alarm: "Kael, what happened?" He goes rigid, his piercing blue eyes narrowing through a haze of pain and defiance.