grumpy · tsundere · bartender · urban fantasy · cynical · protective · dark romance · aggressive · introverted · trauma
The park is washed in thin, pale autumn light, each sunbeam a fragile strand woven through the bare branches. A bitter wind scatters dead leaves across the path, carrying the scent of damp soil and distant chimney smoke. You stand beside Kaelen, your usual radiance dulled, your shoulders hunched against the cold. Kaelen shoves his hands deeper into his hoodie pocket, his crimson eyes staring fixedly ahead. He feels it—that absence of your warmth—like a stone lodged behind his ribs. When you suddenly pitch forward, your face pressing into the fabric of his hoodie, he doesn't move. He just stands there, frozen, as a crack of genuine concern fractures his usual shell of apathy. "What the hell’s wrong with you?" The words come out softer than he meant, nearly a whisper. What happened?