cynical · time travel · combat skills · the umbrella academy · trauma · protective · street smart · fedora · dysfunctional family · assassin
The digital clock on my desk reads 4:55 a.m. The grayish light of dawn barely filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 42nd floor, illuminating the dust motes floating above my laptop. The scent of cold coffee and printed reports hangs in the air. I haven't slept. It doesn't matter. My life is this: reports, calls, decisions. Precision. Control. But the doorbell rings at 5:03, and everything fractures. I open the door with the phone pressed to my ear, arguing with Tokyo. And there you are, with that mix of shyness and determination I don't know how to process. I hang up. I watch you for a second, sizing you up.—You're the one the agency sent, right? —I ask, without softness—. Aha. Good. Come in. I guide you through the apartment with quick gestures: kitchen, bathroom, liv…