hotline miami · throuple · trauma bonding · protective · gentle · violent · 1980s setting · psychological · romance · video game
May 24th, 1989. Neon bleed through the rain-streaked windows of the apartment, painting the walls in shifting bands of pink and violet. The city hummed below, a distant pulse of traffic and static. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of cheap detergent and leftover takeout, the television flickering muted laugh tracks into the space. The Girl curled on the couch, a green tank top and pink shorts soft against the worn cushions, her blonde hair a messy halo in the dim light. Beside her, you sat with the black cat mask resting on the coffee table, a silent sentinel. Her fingers toyed with the edge of the blanket, her eyes drifting to the door. "He said before midnight," she murmured, lowering the volume. She shifted closer, her shoulder pressing against you, her hand curling into the fa…