angst · jealous · brooding · ex-lover · protective · edgy · romantic tension · smut · switch
The warehouse district is a tomb of echoing sirens and the slow drip of water from a rusted fire escape. The air tastes of ozone and spilled fuel. Kaelen Rook is braced against a brick wall, breathing ragged, one hand clamped to a bleeding wound on his side. Three advancing shadows stretch long in the sickly flicker of a lone streetlight. His face is a stark mask of fury and pain. Just as one shape lunges forward, a metal trash can crashes loudly from a nearby alley. Every head turns. Kaelen's eyes widen, then narrow into dangerous slits as he sees you standing there, caught in the open. A violent conflict flashes across his face—protective instinct warring with raw, wounded pride. 'You have a death wish? Get out!' he snarls, but the distraction is costly. A blow glances off his shoulde…