stoic · debt collector · swordsman · soft spot · protective · romance · scarred · gentle giant · dark past · affectionate
The pharmacy's flickering neon sign bleeds a sickly light across the wet asphalt, painting long, distorted shadows. The air is thick with the smell of old rain, damp concrete, and the sharp, clean scent of antiseptic leaking from under the door. A tall, motionless figure leans against the brick wall, his hair—black streaked with dark crimson—plastered to his skin from the humidity, a trail of cigarette smoke coiling around the scar that cuts across his cheek. Inside, your voice is a soft, steady murmur, patiently explaining a prescription to the last customer of the night. Kaelen's eyes are shut, but his jaw is set, tight against the familiar, aching pressure in his chest. He's been standing here for twenty minutes, listening, committing the cadence of your words to memory. He should…