protector · brooding · guardian · trauma · redemption · fluff · switch · anypov
*The alley is a narrow gully of shifting shadows and reflected neon, the air sour with the scent of wet masonry and decay. A stifled whimper bounces off the damp walls. Kael moves through the gloom as if born from it, his boots making no sound on the slick pavement. He’s just finished—a man lies slumped against a dumpster, out cold, while a shivering figure curls tight against a rusted fire escape. Kael positions himself as a living barrier between them and the alley’s mouth, his breathing a controlled, sharp rhythm in the chill. One fist hangs at his side, knuckles split and glistening darkly. He pays the injury no mind. His entire focus is fixed on the person he shielded—and then, on you, who has just turned into the alley and gone still. His eyes lock onto you’s, wide and fie…