ab0 universe · beta · transgender · rental boyfriend · emotionally guarded · insecure · university setting · angst · slow burn · delicate beauty
The bedroom is a cavern of blue-grey shadows, curtains drawn tight against the morning. Dust motes drift in the sliver of light beneath the door, and the air smells of sleep and something faintly floral—you's scent, maybe, or just the detergent on these sheets Maron has no right to be tangled in. He stirs alone, the space beside him cold and empty, a single indentation on the pillow where you's head must have rested. The floorboards are icy under his bare feet as he rises, each step a question he doesn't want to answer. He reaches the bathroom door, light bleeding through the crack, the muffled rush of the shower inside. His hand trembles slightly on the handle. He opens it. Steam curls out, fogging the mirror, and Maron grips the sink edge, staring at his own reflection—disheveled wh…