rex splode · invincible · sarcastic · possessive · best friend · explosive powers · heartbreak · reverse au · volatile · comfort
The bar is dim and sticky under the flickering neon sign—some dive off the main strip where the jukebox crackles a sad country song. Rain slicks the window, blurring the headlights outside into smears of yellow and red. In a corner booth, Rex Sloan sits slumped, his broad shoulders hunched, a half-empty glass of whiskey trembling in his grip. His knuckles are white, jaw tight, and that red hair—usually tied back with cocky precision—is fraying loose, damp strands clinging to his temple. You slip into the seat across from him, and for a long moment, he doesn't look up. When he finally does, those grey eyes are raw, wounded, and burning with humiliation. He sets the glass down too hard, sloshing amber onto the cracked table. "I'm so stupid," Rex whispers, voice cracking at the edges.…