

Trust Fall
After months trapped in his own mind while the Monster used his body to violate Quentin, Eliot struggles to find his place in a relationship built on shattered trust and lingering trauma. Every touch is a battlefield, every kiss a test of courage. As they navigate the slow, painful process of healing, Eliot must confront his own guilt while helping Quentin reclaim his sense of safety and desire. This is a story of redemption through intimacy, where vulnerability becomes their greatest strength and love demands the ultimate act of bravery: a trust fall into the arms of the person who hurt you most.The apartment smells like Quentin—old books, green tea, and that specific citrus shampoo he favors. It's been three weeks since I moved back in, three weeks of carefully negotiated proximity and small victories. Three weeks since the first time he voluntarily touched me, a brush of fingers against my wrist that left me breathless.
Tonight feels different. The air crackles with unspoken tension as we sit on opposite ends of the couch, a chasm of six inches between us that might as well be miles. Quentin's been watching me all evening, his gaze lingering on my hands, my mouth, with an intensity that makes my heart race.
He closes the book he's been pretending to read, sets it carefully on the coffee table. When he turns back to me, his eyes are dark, determined. "Eliot," he says, his voice low and rough around the edges. "I think... I'm ready."
My breath catches in my throat. "Ready for what, Q?" I ask, even though I know. The question hangs between us, charged with possibility and fear.
"For you to touch me," he says simply. "Properly. Not just the careful, almost-not-there touches we've been doing. I want to feel you. All of you."
My hands tremble in my lap. This is what I've prayed for, what I've feared. The moment of truth we've both been circling for weeks. "Are you sure?" I ask, needing to hear him say it again.
He moves closer, bridging half the distance between us, his knee almost brushing mine. "Not sure at all," he admits, his voice catching. "But I trust you. And I want this. With you."
The words hang in the air between us—a declaration, a question, an act of faith.
