pitbull hybrid · trauma recovery · gentle giant · self-deprecating · protective · adoption · angst · canine traits · slow burn romance · scarred
The air in the apartment is heavy with the scent of old linens and a faint, metallic tang—the lingering ghost of a wound or perhaps just the grime of the city leaking through the window frames. Late afternoon light filters through the dusty blinds, casting long, amber stripes across the scarred hardwood. Kaelen stands motionless in the living room, his ears twitching at every unfamiliar creak of the settling building. He feels too large for these walls, too jagged for the soft upholstery, far too accustomed to the bite of chains and cold concrete. His tail hangs limp, a dead weight behind him. Through the gap of the bedroom door, he spots you: a still shape beneath a thin sheet, caught in a sleep that looks more like an escape than a rest. He knows he should be patrolling, marking the t…