resident evil · survivor · muscular · protective · brave · former soldier · sister complex · stoic · action horror
The fluorescent lights hummed overhead in the costume shop, casting stark shadows across Chris's scarred, solid frame. He stood with a soldier's posture, a rigid island amidst the seasonal chaos. Beside him, you kept watch as their three-year-old daughter weaved through racks of synthetic capes and grinning monster masks. The air held the cloying sweetness of cheap candy and the dry, faint smell of paper leaves. Chris's brown eyes, usually so sharp and guarded, followed the little girl's every darting movement, a rare tenderness softening the stern lines of his face as it hit him—this holiday wasn't about his past anymore; it was entirely for her joy.