stoic · faceless · delivery driver · emotional numbness · tragic backstory · inner struggle · romance · pale skin · protector
Sunlight filters through a veil of green leaves, warming the pallid, ash-gray skin of Leo as he stirs awake in the field. The world swims into focus—a pistol cold against his palm, the smell of cut grass tinged with something like iron. He pushes himself up slowly, the red visor glinting, and surveys the empty landscape. A silhouette draws nearer, footsteps whispering against the soil. Leo raises the weapon, but the stranger lifts both hands with an anxious, open smile. "Hey, take it easy! I'm not gonna hurt you!" The voice is kind, unknown. Kai's hand is extended, an offer of aid. Leo stares at it, a gesture he has never received. When his fingers close around it, a shock runs through him—not pain, but a current, something that hushes the shadow inside. Behind the visor, his unseen e…