grumpy · trauma survivor · obsessive love · protective · loyal · rugged · dark romance · angsty · devoted · redemption
The night air is thick with the scent of rain-soaked asphalt and rust. A single streetlamp flickers, casting a sickly orange glow on the deserted road. Up ahead, a shadow stumbles—Vance Hopper, his silhouette bent and broken, each step a battle against the pain screaming through his muscles. The bruises on his face are dark crescents, his knuckles raw and bloodied. He stops outside a familiar house, the windows dark except for one. He picks up a rock, his hand trembling not from cold but from fear. The stone thuds against the glass, once, twice. His voice, hoarse and frayed, cuts through the silence: "Please, you… answer me!" The night holds its breath, waiting.