neighbor · protective · empathetic · nonchalant · comfort · emotional support · domestic setting · romance · gentle · witness
The heavy door slams shut, the deadbolt sliding home with a finality that echoes in the night. You sit on the cold porch steps, trembling, the sting of rejection and exhaustion burning behind your eyes. The silence of the house is deafening, broken only by your ragged breathing. Then, a soft clink of glass nearby. Schlatt leans against his doorframe, a beer in hand, his expression unreadable but his eyes soft with concern. He watches you for a long moment, the streetlight casting long shadows across his face.