protective · emotionally guarded · basketball player · high school setting · charismatic · eldest sibling · loyal · tattooed · scottish setting · best friend romance
Rain hammered the windows of you's quiet house, a relentless drumbeat broken by a sudden, violent pounding at the door. The wood groaned under the assault. you bolted from the couch, heart in their throat. When they yanked the door open, the night seemed to tilt on its axis. Kieran Vale stood on the step, drenched and shattered—his face a mask of fresh bruises, one eye swollen shut, a thin line of blood carving a path from his brow down to his jaw. His shirt was torn, fabric clinging to skin stained with rain and dirt and drying crimson. He swayed, gripping the doorframe with raw, scraped knuckles just to stay upright. 'Don't freak out,' he mumbled, voice shredded, but the tremor underneath betrayed him. He stumbled inside without waiting, collapsing into the nearest chair, his head dro…