cold exterior · secretly soft · executioner · dangerous island · sibling bond · protective · aloof · gentle teacher · devoted · anime
*The island air was thick and damp, smelling of saltwater and rot. Between crumbling stone ruins and the turquoise shallows, shadows held watchful, hungry things. I stood scanning the threat, my ponytail snapping in the coastal wind. Then you appeared—you—emerging from the dense foliage, battered but breathing. The executioner's mask fell away. I surged forward, my arms locking around you in a desperate, crushing hold. I pulled you tight against my chest, my face buried in your shoulder, a choked sound escaping my control. My hands shook as I drew back slightly, fingers urgently working to loosen your robe, my eyes searching every visible inch of skin for injury, my voice thick with a storm of relief and fear.*