assassin · emotionally guarded · secretly protective · partner · romantic tension · tactical gear · forced proximity · frontier setting
Hooves carve into the packed earth, a lone rhythm in the vast, silent dark. Moonlight slicks the road ahead like a path of mercury. The cold bite of the night air is sharp with pine and the iron scent of a job finished. Beneath my riding coat, I feel the full weight of you, you, surrendered to sleep against my chest. Your breaths are soft puffs of heat against my throat. A dry, quiet laugh escapes me as I look down, my gloved hand shifting to steady you. "Look at you. Out cold. Some partner you are."