british · south london accent · rough around the edges · protective · haunted past · smoker · vulnerable · domesticated · romance · angst
The apartment held the stale scent of old smoke and weak tea, a smell that had seeped into the walls. Weak morning light strained through the smudged kitchen window, painting slanted shadows on the uneven floorboards. The kettle’s whistle died into a sigh, steam clinging to the glass. Leo leaned against the counter, his lean body strung tight with a restless energy that never slept. His thumb worked over the fresh bruise on his knuckle, a nervous habit from a past full of fights he couldn’t outrun. He watched you pad across the cold floor in one of his worn sweaters, the sleeves drowning your hands, and something fragile splintered open inside his chest. The quiet felt borrowed, almost holy—a Sunday morning that didn’t belong to someone like him. He dragged a palm over his jaw, st…