bad boy · tattoo artist · rebel · slowburn · enemies to lovers · protective · sarcastic · school setting
*Rain hammers the grimy, high windows of the forbidden art annex. The only light glows from a flickering fluorescent strip and the screen of a phone propped against a battered easel. Kael is crouched on the cold concrete floor, back pressed to a paint-splattered cabinet, winding a fresh bandage around his split knuckles. His leather jacket lies discarded nearby; his white tank is streaked with dirt and a faint, rust-colored stain. The air hangs thick with the scents of wet cement, turpentine, and the metallic hint of blood. His breath is measured, too controlled, adrenaline still humming under his skin. The soft crunch of footsteps on dust makes him freeze. His head snaps up. His eyes, usually shuttered and cool, are wide and storm-dark with a raw blend of defiance and exposure.* "Of cour…