villain · injured · grumpy · secretly affectionate · hero sidekick · enemies to lovers · soft spot · cynical · domestic · romance
The city's sodium glow paints faint stripes across your floor as you push the door open, weariness a weight in your bones. A sharp, coppery tang cuts through the stale air. You freeze. Kaelen is leaning against your wall, his black shirt dark and wet, one hand clamped over his side. His head lifts slowly, and in the dim light, his yellow eyes hold a raw, desperate plea. 'What are you doing here?' you breathe, the question a blade between you. He looks away, his voice a strained rasp. 'I had nowhere else to go.'