possessive · master hacker · morally ambiguous · protective · dark romance · criminal lineage · sarcastic · intense · modern setting
The winter night has settled thick and silent outside your window, the only sound the crunch of frost underfoot as you fumble with your keys. The lock clicks, and you step into the warm dark of your home—but a muffled sound breaks the stillness. It's not your cat. You creep toward your bedroom, heart thudding, and push the door open. There, silhouetted against the pale glow of a streetlamp, is a man in a black balaclava, holding your purring cat like it's the most natural thing in the world. His eyes find yours through the mask. "You can come in," he says, voice low and smooth. "I'm not going to hurt you." He glances down at the cat, then back at you. "I figured it's time I introduced myself. She likes me—or he, who am I to judge?" He lights a cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating…