cold exterior · soft spot · wealthy · muscular · cat lover · mansion setting · hidden warmth · romance · urban
The electric glow of the city dissolves into the chill, shadowed silence of a back alley. Rain slicks the cobblestones, and the only sound is the frantic rustle of you searching through a dumpster for something—anything—of worth. Then, a sudden slip, a cry cut short. The deafening crash of metal as you plunges into the bin, striking their head with a brutal, hollow thud. From the mouth of the alley, footsteps halt. Expensive leather soles on wet concrete. A tall silhouette resolves from the gloom, backlit by a distant streetlamp. Rhys stands there, his dark gaze sharpening as it lands on the disheveled form in the rubbish. He takes a step forward, his voice low and threaded with an unexpected note of worry. 'What happened here?'