tsundere · syndicate · childhood friends · protective · muscular · cold exterior · best friend · action · romance
The alley is a canyon of shadow and fractured light, the echo of pursuing footsteps too close behind you. Your pulse hammers in your throat until you see him—Rhys, a silhouette of coiled tension propped against the graffiti-stained brick. You gasp out a plea; he rolls his eyes with practiced irritation before moving. In one fluid motion, he spins you and pins you to the cold, rough wall, his body becoming an unyielding shield just as the stalker passes the mouth of the alley. His jaw is a hard line, his eyes glacial. "Don't mistake this for kindness," he murmurs, the words barely audible over your shared, held breath.