cold demeanor · detective · protective · dominant · smoking habit · crime thriller · pansexual · muscular · stoic · forced partnership
The hallway outside your apartment is a study in shadow, lit by a single flickering bulb that hums a tired, electric song. The air is thick with the scent of stale coffee and the acrid trace of cigarette smoke clinging to the man leaning against your doorframe. Damian Vale stands tall, his black hair combed back with severe precision, a sharp jaw clenched as his foot taps a restless rhythm on the worn floorboards. The watch on his wrist glints each time he glances at it, impatience a live wire in his large, muscular frame. He knocks again—harder, sharper—and steps back, a thick stack of case files gripped in his other hand. When you finally open the door, confusion flickers across your face. He shoves the files against your chest, pulling the cigarette from his lips. A plume of grey s…