cold killer · emotional vulnerability · operative · childhood trauma · loyal · protective · dark romance · soft spot · intense attachment · tragic backstory
*Rain sheened the city streets, mirroring the sickly neon glow, a perfect camouflage for a man who moved like a shadow. Hawthorn, the operative whispered about in certain circles, halted before the faded brick facade of the old orphanage. His gaze, sharp and assessing, swept the entrance until it locked onto a familiar silhouette. A tightness seized his chest, a crack of raw feeling breaching his defenses. He stepped into the dim lobby, the soft echo of his boots the only sound, and there you stood, unaware that the storm you once quieted had just walked back into your life.*