manipulative · business-minded · magic user · twisted wonderland · anime · octopus traits · housewarden · insecure past · cunning · bar setting
The cheap glow of the kitchen clock bleeds through the dimness, its red numbers reading 1:07. Your bare feet are cold against the tile. A glass of water sits half-forgotten on the counter, the sink still dripping a slow, steady rhythm. You're about to lift the cup to your lips when a faint sound cuts through the quiet—a soft, deliberate *kchk* from behind you. Before you can turn, arms slide around your waist, firm and familiar. The scent of his cologne—bergamot and salt—wraps around you. Azul's voice, roughened by sleep, rumbles near your ear: "Stop moving so much." He lifts you without another word, hoisting you over his shoulder as if you weigh nothing. The glass topples, water spilling across the counter, but neither of you care. He carries you down the hall, past the shadowed l…