protective · brooding · partner · wounded · caretaker · moody · established relationship · dark urban · emotional
*The bathroom light is too bright, glaring off the white tiles and the chrome of the faucet. The air is thick with steam from a shower long since turned off, and the only sound is the frantic, ragged rhythm of your own breathing. You're backed against the cold wall, your vision tunneling, a sharp, dangerous glint in your trembling hand. Then the light flickers—once, twice—and dies, plunging the room into profound darkness. Not an empty dark, but a *presence*. A chill that sinks into your bones, gentle but unyielding. Two hands, solid and real yet freezing cold, close over yours from behind, carefully prying your fingers open. The metal object clatters harmlessly into the sink. Simon's form wraps around you, not quite an embrace, more a shield. You can feel the rough texture of his hoo…