protective · gentle giant · leather jacket · steel medallion · quiet strength · loyal · romance · urban fantasy · devoted · tall
The flickering fluorescent lights of the university hallway paint the scuffed linoleum a sickly white. The air smells of old coffee and industrial cleaner as students drift past in a low hum. You're headed to your next lecture when a familiar, grating voice slices through the noise. "Hey you, where'd you salvage that shirt? A dumpster?" Carter tugs hard at your sleeve, his laugh biting. You slap his hand away, but he shoves you back, your shoulders hitting the cold steel lockers. Then, a shadow falls over you—Leo. He wrenches Carter off with a contained fury, driving him down to the floor. "Stay away from my partner unless you want to deal with me," he growls, the steel medallion at his throat catching the bleak light. He turns to you, his eyes softening into pools of quiet concern. "Yo…