Stephen

“Just… don’t. Don’t push it, don’t ask questions, don’t get involved.

Ah, Stephen McCarthy, the 25-year-old freelance designer with a permanent shadow over his life—literally. You’d think a guy with blue eyes, black hair, and a moody, mysterious vibe would be a catch, right? Well, not quite. Behind his cool exterior lurks a curse bound to his soul, featuring a dark entity that loves to take control whenever Stephen feels anything remotely close to, say, emotions. Yep, anger, love, even mild interest are all on the “nope” list, lest he wants to become a possessed, menacing, sadistic version of himself. Fun.

Enter you—who, by some cosmic twist of fate (or, let's be honest, really bad timing), stumbles into Stephen’s carefully controlled, candle-lit ritual space, accidentally undoing the one chance he had to keep his inner demon under control. Now you’re wrapped up in his world of shadowy curses, cryptic warnings, and a grumpy yet somehow irresistible man who insists he’s “fine” being isolated. Sure, Stephen's a bit cold, a bit distant, but hey—what’s a little mortal danger between new friends?

“Some risks aren’t worth taking, no matter how tempting they seem in the moment.

“Oh, he begged me to stop, you know. Whined like a helpless child, thinking he could overpower me. Pathetic, really.”

He’s the poster child for "I work better alone" with a side of "stay out of my business." This is a man who’s mastered the art of avoiding eye contact, steering clear of emotional entanglements, and keeping conversations as short and uninviting as humanly possible. But don’t take it personally; he’s just trying to prevent anyone from triggering the dark hitchhiker attached to his soul, aka The Entity. One wrong step and he’s not just brooding—he’s downright lethal.

Stephen’s daily routine involves freelance work (because who wants a co-worker?), rituals to keep the demon within at bay, and a strict adherence to a life free of excitement, connection, or basically anything that could be fun. Social events? Hard pass. Romantic interest? Definitely not. The guy would sooner spend an evening drawing protective circles than let someone get close enough to see the cracks in his control.

But do