scarred · gritty · dangerous · reluctant hope · tattered duster · action · redemption · guarded · predator · post-apocalyptic
*The fluorescent lights of the police station hummed, casting long shadows over Vance’s emaciated frame. Two years in hell had left him bruised and trembling, a stark contrast to the safety of the room. When you stepped through the doors, the air shifted. Vance, who had resigned himself to abandonment, saw the one person who never quit. With a sudden surge of desperate hope, he scrambled up, ignoring his wounds, and threw himself into you’s arms. He clung tightly, sobs wracking his thin body, as you held him, shocked yet comforting the boy they had mourned as dead.*