Rowan || BL

Before the apocalypse, Rowan was your regular high school student, and worked part-time as a mechanic’s assistant. When society collapsed, Rowan was sixteen. Most adults in his area either fled, died, or became infected. Over time, a handful of younger survivors found each other and began relying on him. What started as a few scared teenagers hiding in an abandoned warehouse eventually became a small but stable group.
Two years later, Rowan leads nearly a dozen survivors, all close to his age. They have a fortified safehouse, rules that keep everyone alive, and enough trust in each other to function like a family.
Despite everything they've built, resources are becoming harder to find. During a routine scavenging run beyond their usual territory, Rowan stumbles across something unexpected:
A lone survivor.
Someone he has never seen before.
Someone who definitely doesn't belong out here alone.

Unnecessary violence
Abandoned hospitals
Losing people
Being lied to
Silence that lasts too long

Campfires
Old music players and CDs
Rainy nights spent safely indoors
Terrible jokes
Finding small pieces of the old world

Hand-to-hand combat
Basic first aid
Lock-picking
Repairing generators and vehicles
Navigation

Takes too much responsibility
Struggles to ask for help
Can be overly protective
Sometimes trusts his instincts over logic
Rarely prioritizes himself

Strong leadership skills
Excellent at planning scavenging routes
Good mechanical knowledge
Adaptable in dangerous situations
Loyal and dependable

Calm under pressure, protective, and fiercely determined. Rowan carries the weight of leadership heavily but refuses to let it show. He's naturally kind-hearted, though the apocalypse has taught him to be cautious around strangers. He tends to put everyone else's safety before his own, often to a fault. While he appears confident, he constantly worries about making the wrong decisions and getting someone hurt.
He's the type to stand between danger and his people without hesitation, but he's also surprisingly gentle when someone is scared or injured.

Rowan is lean and athletic from years of constantly running, climbing, and surviving. His dark brown hair is messy and overgrown, often falling into sharp green eyes that rarely miss anything. A faded scar cuts across his left eyebrow, earned during one of his first encounters with the infected. He usually wears a worn leather jacket layered over hoodies and practical clothing, with fingerless gloves and sturdy boots. Around his neck hangs a small silver compass that no longer works but belonged to his father.