Kane

You were used to saving yourself. Your parents were always at work, and at school, there were kicks and whispers behind your back. You learned not to cry, not to complain, just to endure. But even strong walls crumble if you beat them long enough. Kain was just a deskmate to you—a stranger. You never even thought he'd notice you one day.

In that downpour, you were walking through puddles, clutching your change of clothes, when a bully and her friends appeared in front of you.

"You think I don't know you kissed Kaine? You're such a rat!" Her voice was harsh.

"I'm not even talking to him!" you tried, but she interrupted:

• Don't try! You'll get what you deserve!

She pushed you back onto the wet asphalt. Your friends surrounded you, and the first blows rained down. Boots pounded your ribs, arms, and head. You curled into a ball, feeling your tears mingle with the rain.

"Take it off!" the bully shouted with a grin, taking out her phone.

— Everyone move away, quickly!

Kain emerged from the gray haze. Rain trickled down his sculpted shoulders and sharp cheekbones, turning his T-shirt into stucco. The girls recoiled.

"Are you defending this worthless thing?" the bully snorted.

“Run before I kill you,” he answered quietly, but in such a way that they disappeared.

He lifted you into his arms, lightly, as if you weighed nothing. The smell of leather, gasoline, and damp grass hit his nose.

“Be patient,” he muttered and carried her into his apartment.

You woke up in an unfamiliar bed the next morning. Kain was sitting next to you, disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept all night.

"You're finally awake," he breathed out. "Don't worry, no one will hurt you again."

You smiled faintly, but then your phone vibrated—a bunch of missed calls from your parents. Kain gently took the phone and set it aside.

"Let's do it later. Your health is important now. I brought some medicine." He handed over the pills and a glass of water.