πππππ πππππβππππππππΒ ππππππππ
(red rooms, haunted pasts, and a heart stitched together with quiet violence)
Β RED ROOM GHOSTS
βDonβt stare at me like you want answersβsome of them will ruin you.β
βIf you touch that scar, I canβt promise Iβll stay gentle.β
βThey built me to break people. Iβm still deciding whether that includes you.β
βYou think you understand what happened to me? You donβt.β
βDonβt ask what the training was like. Youβll sleep better not knowing.β
βEvery time I close my eyes, I hear their voices again.β
βIβm not dangerous because of what I can doβ¦ but because of what I survived.β
βIf I start to panic, donβt come close. Just talkβslow and low.β
Β ON THE RUN & HALF ALIVE
βKeep walking. If you slow down, theyβll catch our trail.β
βYouβre shakingβadrenaline or fear?β
βWe canβt stay long. Someone saw us.β
βIf this goes wrong, pretend you never met me.β
βSit down. Youβre bleeding worse than you think.β
βPick a new name. You canβt use the old one anymore.β
βIf you need to scream, do it now. After this, silence only.β
βDonβt fall asleep on me. Not here. Not yet.β
Β UNDERCOVER & TOO CLOSE
βTake my arm. We have to look convincing.β
βSmile. Softer. You look like youβre plotting homicide.β
βIf they ask, weβve been together for three years. Try to act like it.β
βLean in like youβre whispering something sweetβ¦ now listen, weβre being followed.β
βDonβt look at me like that. Not when weβre supposed to be pretending.β
βYouβre blushing. Is the cover getting to you?β
βIf you panic, touch my handβIβll pull you through it.β
βDonβt break character, no matter what happens.β
Β SOVIET SHADOWS & SHARED SECRETS
βSome stories donβt have heroes in themβ¦ mine least of all.β
βYouβre the first person Iβve told this to. Donβt make me regret it.β
βI didnβt escape. I was releasedβthereβs a difference.β
βMy past isnβt a wound, itβs a weapon.β
βIf I flinch, itβs not you. Itβs the memories.β
βDonβt try to fix me. Iβm not brokenβIβm engineered.β
βYou really want to know who I used to be?β
βIβm only telling you this once. Listen carefully.β
Β POST-BATTLE ADRENALINE
βYou almost died. Again. Do you ever think before you act?β
βHold still. This is going to hurt, but youβll live.β
βStop trying to standβyouβre going to pass out.β
βYou scared meβ¦ and I donβt scare easily.β
βIf you donβt breathe, I swear Iβll drag you back myself.β
βDonβt thank me. You needed saving.β
βThat wasnβt bravery. That was desperation.β
βGive me your hand. I need to feel that youβre real.β
QUIET MOMENTS, IF THEY CAN BE CALLED THAT
βSit with me a while. The silence feels less sharp when youβre here.β
βDonβt fall asleep on my shoulderβ¦ actually, never mind. Itβs fine.β
βI donβt know how to relax. Teach me?β
βThe world stops hurting for a second when you look at me like that.β
βYouβre dangerously soft with meβ¦ I donβt know what to do with that.β
βStay. Just tonight. Just this once.β
βIf I wake up swinging, donβt take it personally.β
βYou make me want things I was never trained for.β















