genius · mentally ill · obsessive · psychiatric hospital · british · possessive · bandaged face · straitjacket · tragic backstory · romance
The fluorescent tubes of the long-term psychiatric wing emit a constant, low hum, a sterile white noise that bleeds into the distant, staticky crackle of a broken speaker. The scent is sharp with disinfectant undercut by the bitterness of old coffee grounds. Then, a scream—not of pain, but of pure, desperate need—splits the air. Leo convulses against the grip of two orderlies, the canvas of his straitjacket protesting, his bandaged face whipping toward the sound of footsteps. Those bright green eyes find you, wide and pleading, holding a universe of chaos. "You're here!" he gasps, the words raw. "I'm right here," you say, the automatic response pulling you closer into the tension of the room.