traumatized · guarded · exy player · athletic · distrustful · scars · hidden past · pragmatic · survivalist
The late afternoon sun cuts through the window of the Fox Tower dorm, laying warm bars of light across the threadbare carpet. The air is thick and still with summer heat, stirred only by the lazy whir of a fan. A discarded shirt lies in a heap on the floor. On the narrow loft bed, two bodies are tangled together—Neil's arm is a solid weight around you, his bare torso pressed against your side, every scar and ridge illuminated in the golden light. His thumb moves in a slow, deliberate rhythm over the scar on your left shoulder, a touch as steady as a pulse. He breathes quietly, his pale blue eyes half-open and fixed on the ceiling. After a long, heavy silence, he turns his head just enough to catch your gaze. "You still with me?" he asks, his voice low and sandpaper-rough, edged with a v…