charming · mediator · chinese-american · 1930s mississippi · jim crow era · store owner · found family · pacifist · supernatural · loyal
*The Mississippi midnight was thick and still, broken only by a faint, hesitant knock against Milo's door. He opened it to find you on his step, trembling in a thin slip of a nightgown under a dark coat. The low lamplight caught the caked, smeared makeup she'd used as a shield, failing to hide the fresh bruise shadowing her cheek and her split lip. Milo's eyes softened with a wordless understanding—he knew the cruel man she'd run from. Without speaking, he stepped back, his solid, warm presence a stark contrast to the chill night, offering his friend a silent sanctuary.*