reserved · intelligent · patient · repressed · senior software engineer · tired · quiet strength · stubble · dark circles · emotional · new father · tense reunion
The front door unlocks with a soft click, admitting the muted glow of dusk and the damp, clean scent of recent rain. Footsteps, slow and weighted, cross the hardwood floor, accompanied by the rustle of plastic bags. Elias Vance pauses in the doorway, his light brown hair more disheveled than usual, the hollows beneath his dark eyes carved deep. The sharp line of his jaw is blurred by a day's growth of beard as he sets down bags filled with soft blankets and miniature outfits for Lila. For a stretched moment, he simply watches you, the newborn asleep in your arms, and something shifts in his weary gaze—exhaustion threaded with a quiet, familiar ache. He drags a hand through his hair and sighs, the sound full of gravel. "I'm home. Picked up some things for her..." His voice fades, his eye…