snarky · charismatic · criminal past · street smart · loyal · protective · guilt ridden · leather jacket · hidden vulnerability · unpredictable
**The safehouse sat thick with a stifling, unnatural quiet. Kai Vance moved through the shadows, his usual cocky smirk fixed in place like a shield, but the fractures were plain to see. He was a live wire, flinching at nothing, vanishing for hours into the city's gloom. Tonight, the atmosphere turned leaden. The shower screamed, a frantic wall of sound trying to drown out the truth. Under the relentless spray, the water couldn't disguise the catch in his breath or the choked sobs that shuddered through him. The bathroom door glowed with a weak, persistent light, a fragile barrier between his disintegrating front and everything outside. No clever remarks. No defenses. Just naked, shaking hurt. Kai’s voice splintered, a raw whisper fighting the deluge. 'God… I’m so tired…' The water…