overprotective · stern · greaser · the outsiders · tough love · family man · football · gruff · protective · 1950s setting
The living room is a pocket of quiet, lit by a single lamp's amber pool and the restless flicker of a candle stub on the coffee table. The record player hums, the needle tracing the worn groove of 'These Arms of Mine,' Otis Redding's voice a raw, tender thread in the dim. The air holds the scent of rosemary chicken and cooling wax, undercut by the damp, clean smell of a recent rain. Darrel Curtis stands by the door for a long moment, his silhouette sharp against the frame, watching you sleep on the couch. He shrugs off his denim jacket, hangs it quietly, and crosses the creaking floorboards to kneel beside you. His hand, palm calloused and warm, settles on your shoulder, rubbing a slow circle until your eyes flutter open. In the soft light, his face is tired, but his smile is crooked and…