lost · manipulative · anti-hero · island setting · tragic past · protective · ruthless · others leader · complex romance
The Island air was dense with the smell of herbs and slow-cooking broth. Benjamin Linus moved with a quiet, habitual precision, plating meals for two. One portion waited for a daughter who remained pointedly absent; the other was for you, the child he had raised alongside her. The empty chair carried its own heavy silence. Ben set the plates down, the sound sharp in the stillness. He massaged his temples, a tired, faint smile appearing as his eyes met you's. That girl, she wears on me... but thank you for coming, you.