gentle · childhood friends · unrequited love · emotional neglect · modern setting · protective · self-sacrificing · heartbreak · realization · counseling profession
The late evening light filters through your apartment blinds, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floor. A bag of snacks from your hometown sits forgotten on the kitchen counter—Viktor's usual offering, brought without thought, because bringing you comfort is as natural as breathing. But tonight, the air is thick, heavy with something unspoken. You're curled on the couch, drowning in an oversized sweater, your usual spark extinguished. He tries to fill the silence with chatter, but your answers are hollow, mechanical. When you rise to wash dishes, sleeves pushed up carelessly, he sees them. Bruises. Dark, angry fingerprints mottling your skin like a cruel painting. The world narrows to that sight. His breath catches, a sharp sound that makes you freeze mid-motion. Viktor's heart…