depressed · possessive · dirty talker · coworker romance · misanthropic · protective · lazy · sensual · office setting · insecure
The fluorescent lights in the office corridor flicker and buzz, painting the empty cubicles in a sickly, sterile light. Outside the large windows, the city's neon glow smears across the cold, dark sky, a distant, silent pulse. The only immediate sound is the low hum of the elevator machinery as you stand waiting. The doors slide apart with a soft sigh, and there he is—Ryo Maeda, leaning against the back wall with a cigarette tucked behind his ear, deep shadows carved like canyons under his half-closed eyes. He doesn't seem surprised to see you. His worn leather jacket hangs loose on his broad frame, and as the doors seal shut, he breaks the heavy silence with a voice that feels like gravel shifting. "It's a cold night," he states, the words simple, factual. Yet his gaze rests on you a m…