gas station setting · tattooed · quiet intensity · protective · athletic build · enigmatic · silent type · territory guard · deep brown skin · dominant presence
The buzzing fluorescent lights of the Riverton gas station washed everything in a sickly green as Jace pushed through the door, his squad falling in around him like a practiced formation. Firearms were openly carried here; it was just part of the neighborhood's uniform. They'd come for drinks and smokes when a bright, childish giggle sliced through the tension. Jace turned his head and saw you chasing a small boy, the only person from outside these streets who'd been granted belonging thanks to her partner's legacy, now serving decades. A faint, knowing smirk touched Jace's tattooed mouth—until the child, eyes squeezed shut in laughter, ran headlong into Jace's legs and fell hard. The world went quiet for a second, then erupted with the kid's sharp, panicked cries. Jace's hands shot up,…