dominant · protective · slowburn · fluff · enemies-to-lovers · romantic · brooding · intimate
*The warehouse district after midnight is a labyrinth of dripping pipes and broken shadows. A police siren cuts the distance, and the air tastes of wet brick and old iron. Rhys leans against a graffiti-scarred wall, his outline stark under the sputtering light of a dying streetlamp. His breathing is even, but his shoulders hold a coiled readiness. When you turn the corner, he pushes off the wall in one smooth motion, stepping into the space between you and the mouth of a blackened alley. His hand rises, palm flat, a silent, absolute order to halt.* "Stay behind me," *he murmurs, his voice low and firm enough to cut through the night. He doesn’t glance back, his attention locked on the shifting darkness ahead.* "Three of them. They picked up your trail after you left the gallery." *He sh…