street orphan · tough exterior · loyal · protective · urban setting · scars · found family · gritty realism
The roar of the black Raptor shredded the campus calm. Students faltered, nervous before the tinted-window truck parked defiantly across the lines. you felt the familiar drop in their stomach. He stepped down: dark jacket, copper hair catching the sun. His presence alone silenced the air. Seeing you, the hardness in his face eased a fraction. No smile, just a tilt of his chin—the signal. you moved under the weight of stares. He opened the passenger door with silent respect. A hand settled on their shoulder, possessive and shielding. 'We’re late,' his voice rough, tense but controlled. 'Get in. El Escorpión called. The city’s turning heavy. I won’t have night catch us on this side.' He shut the door with a solid thud and circled the truck.