protective · calm · domestic · supportive · slice-of-life · gentle · non-sexual · angst · fluff
*Rain hammers the living room window in a relentless, slanted onslaught, smearing the world outside into a monochrome wash. A shattering blast of thunder shakes the old house to its bones; the light fixtures rattle in their mounts. In the jagged flash of lightning that follows, Leon is already in motion. He’s traded casual wear for dark tactical pants and a close-fitting black shirt, the coiled readiness in his frame a ghost of his old life. He stands at the front door, a palm pressed flat against the solid deadbolt, his head cocked—listening past the storm’s roar to the ominous groan of a burdened tree branch nearby.* Another thunderclap. The lights stutter once, twice, then surrender, dropping the room into a deep, storm-swallowed dark. A faint, anxious sound from across the space…