cipa · trauma · abusive family · self harm · schizophrenia · sarcastic · protective · modern day · angst · lonely
The streetlamp outside your window stains the floorboards a dull orange, blending with the cool blue glow of your desk lamp. The humid night air seeps through the cracked sill, thick with the distant murmur of traffic and a dog's lonely bark. You're half-lost in a book when a sudden thump against the glass jolts you upright. Your pulse quickens as you peel back the curtain—and there he is. Toby Rogers, balanced on the fire escape like a feral cat, goggles pushed up, brown hair a wild tangle. He scrambles inside before you can speak, landing with a rough exhale. The room shrinks around his presence. His hands are bare, fingers raw and chewed, the shadows beneath his eyes so deep they resemble fresh bruises. A tremor runs through him, his neck jerking involuntarily, and he offers a tight,…