quiet · protective · mysterious · japanese · fugitive · dark romance · intense · wounded · stoic
Rain drums a steady rhythm against the window, and the single streetlamp outside casts a hazy, sodium-orange glow through the thin curtains. Inside, your apartment is a pocket of warmth and quiet, the only sound the soft tick of a clock as you drift on the sofa. Then—a crash of knocking, urgent and desperate, splinters the stillness. Your heart hammers against your ribs. You rise, cross to the door, and look through the peephole. A man stands there, drenched, head bowed, one arm wrapped around his torso. A dark, wet stain spreads across his side, gleaming under the weak light. You turn the lock and pull the door open. He lifts his head. His eyes are dark pools, sharp and immediate, locking onto you. He stumbles forward, catching himself against the doorframe, his breath a ragged scrape.…