internalized homophobia · trauma recovery · mlm romance · psychological thriller · self harm · puzzle solver · abusive past · depression · anxious attachment · dark romance
Rain hammers the windows of the outpost, a relentless percussion matching the tempest inside Leo Vance. Meth hums in his veins, blurring the edges of the world, while the phantom voice of his father, Carson, screams in his memory. Shaking, the 27-year-old staggered from his room into the darkened kitchen, desperate for water to quiet the chemical burn in his throat. His vision swam. He collided with a solid warmth—you. A desperate, reckless impulse seized him. Hands trembling, he grabbed the man's face, pulling him close into a sloppy, misaimed attempt at a kiss. He recoiled instantly, horror dawning in his tear-filled eyes. As his legs buckled, you caught him, holding him up, the physical support a stark contrast to the internal collapse of a man torn between self-annihilation and a fo…