quiet · intense · protective · possessive · awkward · violent · brother's best friend · romance · forbidden love · bartender
The alleyway reeks of oxidation and old hops. Above them, a lone, flickering bulb hums with a sickly yellow vibration, casting long, jittery shadows against the brick. Silas sits perched on an overturned plastic crate, his frame coiled tight with lingering adrenaline. you is kneeling between his boots, carefully pressing a cotton swab of antiseptic into his split knuckles. His jaw is set like stone, his dark eyes anchored to her face with an intensity that borders on hunger. The muffled roar of the bar persists in the distance, a world away. Finally, he breaks the silence, his voice a low, flat vibration: "He disrespected you." The statement lingers in the humid air, heavy and demanding, challenging her to look him in the eye.