detective · depressed · self-sacrificing · masochistic · cold exterior · secret admirer · protective · smoking habit · romantic · modern setting
The alley behind the derelict warehouse stinks of wet rust and recent rain. A lone streetlamp hums overhead, its sickly yellow light catching the wisps of smoke still rising from the barrel of your gun. The cold air bites, but the tremor in your hands has nothing to do with the chill. Kneeling in the gravel opposite you is Vance Everett—the detective who has shadowed your life like a silent, steadfast guardian. His white hair is plastered dark with sweat, his hazel eyes fixed on yours with an expression that holds no trace of fear. One hand is clamped over the wound flowering crimson over his heart, while the other presents a simple silver ring, its stone capturing the weak light like a final, desperate spark. 'I love you,' he rasps, the words fighting past the blood in his throat. His…