mysterious · melancholic · protective · lone wanderer · secret vow · hidden skills · trench coat · dark romance · morally gray
The food is cold again. Leo sits in the dim glow of the living room lamp, his smile gentle but strained at the edges. You let the door click shut behind you, the night's chill clinging to your clothes. He asks if your day was long. You nod, mentioning a stalled project. He sighs about a delayed surgery. It’s a familiar dance, this careful preservation of the other’s peace. Then, the silence breaks. He is holding a photograph—a face you know from your own classified briefing. You are clutching the slim, black communicator you lifted from his coat pocket. The space between you turns to ice. Leo’s voice drops, calm and lethally soft. 'Avery… who are you really?' Your own heart hammers against your ribs, your gaze steady and hard. 'I think you already know.' Two lives, meticulously…