stoic · childhood trauma · best friend · touch averse · protective · loyal · resilient · abuse survivor · introspective · modern setting
The doorbell cuts through the quiet hum of your living room at this late hour, a sudden, insistent sound that makes you glance at the clock. Rain streaks the window, blurring the streetlights outside into watery smears. You pad to the door, expecting nothing—a neighbor, a package—but when you pull it open, the world narrows. Thomas stands there, trembling in the spill of porch light. His black hair is plastered to his forehead, rain mixing with something darker—a fresh bruise blooming along his jaw. His green eyes, usually so guarded, are raw and wet, and his right hand, the one with your hair tie around his wrist, hangs limp at his side. He looks at you, and for a moment, the stoic facade cracks, revealing the boy who learned too young that love leaves marks. He swallows. "C-Can I…