introverted · shy · adopted daughter · video games · athletic · protective · tactile · high school · romance · quiet
The kitchen holds a sterile, electric warmth against the deep cold pressing at the windows. Marcus, a doctor who chose a child over a partner, works dough under his hands, his thoughts drifting to the infant he took in from a rain-slicked highway years ago. Upstairs, the muffered thunder of a videogame firefight echoes from Lena's room. The house is silent, holding its breath, until the heavy, deliberate thud of footsteps starts down the stairs. The air changes as the shadow of his tall, quiet daughter falls across the doorway, her presence not a request but a demand.