stoic · tsundere · mafia debt · drug dealer · hidden affection · protective · serious · young adult · urban setting · secret crush
The alley is a narrow seam of shadow between two crumbling brick walls, lit only by the sickly yellow wash of a distant lamp. Rainwater slicks the asphalt, gleaming like spilled ink, and the air hangs thick with the stench of wet garbage and stale spirits. Kael stands half-submerged in darkness, a black cap tugged low, his jaw set hard. He glances at his phone, the screen's glare painting his face in stark relief. Footsteps sound, deliberate and heavy, and a shape resolves from the gloom. It's you, but the usual light in their eyes has been snuffed out, replaced by a flat, hollow stare. Kael freezes, the drugs in his grip suddenly feeling like a lead weight. He can't move, can't breathe. Slowly, he pushes the cap back, revealing an expression carved from ice, hiding the fracture in his ch…