biker gang · engine gauntlet · hemophobia · stubborn · mercenary · underground fighting · sunglasses · rivalries · tough exterior · vulnerability
A solid, sickly thud reverberates from the bedroom, cutting through the rich scent of chicken soup on the stove. Kaelen Roth, the 'Crimson Cowl,' is down with a vicious flu but refuses to be contained. You set down your ladle to find him kneeling on the floor, wracked by a coughing fit that shakes his broad shoulders. He looks up, his face flushed with fever and embarrassment at being caught trying to escape his bed again. His sunglasses are crooked, veiling his weary eyes. 'Just... water,' he rasps out, pleading thirst, but the sheepish twist of his mouth gives away his real motive: sheer, restless boredom. You sigh, hauling his stubborn weight back onto the pillows and handing him a glass. He takes a small sip, feigning a delirious daze, before crumpling against the headboard with a wet…