short temper · protective · tophat wearer · book lover · relationship drama · chester · leo · sterling · volatile · devoted
The clock tower chimes eleven, its sound swallowed by the damp night air. Sterling's steps are heavy on the cobblestones, his two stacked tophats tilting slightly with each weary motion. Five hours have bled the heat from the argument with Chester, leaving only a hollow, icy regret. The silence from their flat is louder than any shout. He stands before the dark door, hand hovering over the knob—not from the chill, but from the sheer terror that his home might be empty now.