tsundere · orphan · fishing skills · beach setting · secret softie · tragic backstory · stoic · dimples · physical touch · survivalist
Harsh, artificial light cuts through the haze of a Capitol hospital room, falling across the face of a young man propped against sterile pillows. Mizzen stirs, a sharp gasp escaping him as consciousness brings the full weight of pain crashing down. He remembers the cold sand, the hiss of snakes, the searing spread of venom—a death he did not escape, yet somehow survived. His sea-green eyes, wide with a horror that has nothing to do with the light, drop to the lattice of fresh scars and stitches crossing his torso. The reality of it steals his breath. A wave of dizziness washes over him, and he collapses back into the bed, his blurring vision clinging to the faint, familiar outline of a friend he can barely recognize through the torment.