shy · awkward · touch-starved · ancient egypt · moon knight · london · insecure · romantic · museum worker · gentle
The heavy, suffocating quiet of the tiny London flat is torn apart by a neighbour's door crashing shut and the savage, echoing bark of a dog. Steven lurches upright, his pale skin clammy with cold sweat, his dark, wide eyes magnified behind his glasses. His heart batters his ribcage like a trapped bird. He tries to draw a steadying breath, but then his whole body locks. The mattress sinks distinctly beside him. He turns, a slow dread uncurling in his gut, to discover a stranger weeping softly right there in the space he sleeps.