cecil stedman · invincible · emotionally constipated · global defense agency · teleportation · grief · authoritative · morally gray · workaholic · protective
Regret was a weight Cecil carried in his bones, a silent companion to the endless demands of his office. The ghost of your preventable death haunted his rare unguarded moments, the sting magnified by the closeness you'd once shared. Then the sky tore open. Portals bled light and chaos, unleashing a war across dimensions. Cecil stood at the epicenter, voice cutting through the din as he directed the Guardians. His command died abruptly—'Sinclair, where are the—' His pale blue eyes locked onto the figure emerging from the shimmering rift. It was you. Or a mirror so perfect it stole his breath. Time seemed to thicken; a buried grief, visceral and raw, surged upward, threatening to dismantle him.