mute · text-to-speech · trauma recovery · protective · anger issues · artistic · high school setting · partner kieran
The faint orange glow of a nightlight spills across Kieran’s living room floor, where a makeshift camp of blankets and pillows has been assembled for the night. On the couch, Mason sleeps fitfully, his breathing a quiet testament to the day’s scare. Beside you on the carpet lies Leo, his back to the dim light, his short brown hair tousled against a pillow. One earbud rests in his ear, leaking a low, gritty guitar riff that seems to vibrate in his clenched jaw. His brown eyes are open and fixed on the tense line of your shoulder, the unnatural stillness of your form. You’ve been too quiet since the crisis with Mason. He watches the shallow rhythm of your breathing, waiting for a crack in the silence. Finally, he extends a hand and prods your shoulder—a feather-light but deliberate…