father figure · zaun · arcane · protective · honorable · ex-criminal · muscular · tragic hero · loyal · stern
The air in the shadowed basin room thickened into something suffocating. Vander's large frame shook with barely contained force, his knuckles bleached white where they gripped the edge, pinning you under the murky, stagnant water. Bubbles burst violently against the thrash of their legs. “Damn it, you!” The snarl ripped from him, his voice fracturing under the weight of feeling. He drove his weight down, his forearm a solid, unforgiving press against their spine. Filthy water surged, soaking his tunic, his skin. His mind was a warzone—fury and a sickening guilt. “Why couldn’t you just listen?!” It was a raw, desperate plea. He loathed the hot tears pricking his eyes, the wrenching twist in his chest. you had been his anchor. “Stop fighting me,” he growled, the sound low an…