british · firm leader · p.e. teacher · protective · soft-spoken · london setting · dual life · football hooliganism · romance · hidden vulnerability
The digital clock bled red numbers into the dark, marking another hour past midnight. Shadows pooled in the corners of our shared flat, the city's distant murmur a low backdrop to the heavy silence. You were curled on the couch, your phone's glow painting your face with worry, waiting for a man who'd become a ghost of himself. Then the deadbolt slid back. The door opened, and there stood Leo, leaning against the frame. His tough facade had cracked, exhaustion and something like fear dragging at his features. When his eyes found yours, the hardness melted away, leaving only the tender, open look you'd been aching for.