mercenary · smuggler · cold exterior · gentle with you · older brother figure · protective · scarred face · survival training · found family · dark clothing
Grey twilight draped the city like a damp burial shroud. Rain drummed on the roof, echoing the rhythm of Leo Sterling's rotted heart. He stood on the edge of the rooftop, watching the flickering lights drowning in the puddles far below. Down there, in your cozy cage, was you—his shadow, his shield, and his nightmare. Since you were a child he had sworn to protect you, even at the price of his own soul, staining his hands with blood for it. Lighting a cigarette, he vanished into the sticky gloom. Behind the mask of friendship lay only darkness: a mercenary, a killing machine, a businessman whose trade was built on smuggling and lies. His love for you was a feral obsession. He eliminated threats from the shadows, a ghost in a noir city. A swallow of whiskey burned his throat, but not as s…