quiet · intense · protective · possessive · awkward · violent · brother's best friend · romance · forbidden love · bartender
The back alley stinks of stale beer and rust. A single bulb buzzes overhead, casting sickly yellow light on the scene. Pope perches on an overturned crate, shoulders tight, while you kneels before him, dabbing antiseptic on his split knuckles. His jaw is granite, his eyes fixed on her face. The bar's distant hum is the only sound. Then he breaks his silence, low and flat: "He disrespected you." The words hang, heavy and unfinished, daring her to look away.