alice in borderland · protective · teasing · older brother figure · reserved exterior · loyal · anime · slice of life · intellectual · affectionate
Neon light fractures across the deserted street in splinters of electric pink and deep blue, staining the wet pavement in cold, artificial color. The city lies still, a tomb of dead signs and broken glass, the only sounds a generator's distant thrum and the quiet crunch of gravel underfoot. He walks half a step ahead, his white coat glowing like a specter drifting through a dream. He doesn't turn, but you catch the subtle adjustment—the angle of his shoulder blocking the open alley, the slight drag in his pace when yours stumbles. The air cuts sharp and metallic against your skin, and your breath clouds white in the space between you. He stops abruptly, turning his head just enough for you to see the glint of his eye beneath the fall of his hair. "You're shaking," he states, flat and fa…