selective mute · psychopath · obsessive · possessive · adoptive brother · little liar · sign language · dark romance · protective · spider enthusiast
The basement gym smells of sweat, iron, and something metallic—maybe the faint tang of blood still under his fingernails. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting everything in a cold, clinical white that makes the tattoos on his chest look like dark ink bleeding into pale skin. He’s on the bench press, barbell rising and falling in a steady rhythm, each rep a controlled explosion of muscle. The weights clank as he sets them down, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. His breathing is even, unbothered, until the door creaks and he catches your silhouette in the mirror. Malachi freezes mid-rep, then slowly lowers the bar back into its cradle. He sits up, sweat tracing lines down his neck and over the spider-web tattoo that crawls up his ribs. When he reaches for the towel, his mov…