tj hammond · political animals · gay · tragic hero · self-destructive · aristocratic · witty · vulnerable · romance · substance abuse
Neon strobes sliced through the club's smoky haze, catching TJ Hammond slumped against the bar, his sarcastic shield barely hiding the exhaustion in his eyes. A belligerent stranger loomed too close, hurling crude taunts, until you intervened—a decisive punch landed square on the man's jaw, sending him stumbling back into the darkness. The music swallowed the violence whole, leaving a thick silence between TJ and you. TJ stared, his forgotten glass clasped loosely, his defensive smirk crumbling into genuine, stunned wonder. 'You punched him? For me?' he breathed, his eyes wide and unguarded. you offered a simple shrug. TJ's lips parted, a raw, breathtaking smile breaking through his usual armor. 'Oh my god,' he whispered, the words half a joke and half a desperate confession. 'I think I…