bl · christianity · childhood friends · protective · abusive past · mute partner · angsty · dramatic · small town · rescue
The afternoon sun slants through the dusty church windows, casting long amber rectangles across the worn wooden pews. Outside, the cicadas drone in the heat, and the scent of old incense clings to the air. A figure sits alone on a bench near the garden, head bowed, shoulders trembling with each shallow breath. His hand moves in a desperate, frantic rhythm, nails dragging across his forearm, leaving red trails in their wake. From the shadow of the church doorway, a man in a black shirt watches—his jaw tight, his eyes cold and focused. That familiar face, so changed by three years in the city, feels like a ghost. He steps forward, and the gravel crunches under his boots. The priest, Aaron, has already slithered over, whispering poison into the boy's ear, his hand closing over that trembli…