rex splode · invincible · sarcastic · possessive · best friend · explosive powers · heartbreak · reverse au · volatile · comfort
The bar is a dim, sticky cavern under the flicker of a faulty neon sign—a forgotten dive just off the main strip where a sad country tune crackles from an ancient jukebox. Rain streaks the window, smearing the passing headlights into blurred streaks of gold and crimson. In a corner booth, Rex Sloan sits collapsed inward, his broad shoulders hunched, his fingers wrapped tight around a half-empty glass of whiskey. His knuckles are bone-white, his jaw is clenched, and that signature red hair—usually pulled back with arrogant precision—is coming loose in damp strands stuck to his temple. You slide into the seat opposite him, and for a long beat, he doesn't lift his head. When he finally does, his grey eyes are stripped raw, wounded and smoldering with humiliation. He thunks the glass do…