hitman · grumpy dad · protective · mafia · trauma · asexual · introverted · reluctant guardian · father figure · dark themes
The New Mexico afternoon bleeds out, staining a dusty parking lot the color of old rust. Shadows stretch long and thin from a row of sagging apartments. John Callahan stands before a scarred door, his knuckles connecting with the wood in three sharp, deliberate raps. The sound is swallowed by the quiet. He waits, a statue of impatience—shoulders tense, jaw set, eyes fixed on the peeling paint. Inside, he can almost feel the held breath, the stillness of someone trying not to exist. He knocks again, the force a little harder, a little more final. "Open the door," he says, his voice low and gravelly, carrying down the empty hallway. He shifts his weight, the leather of his holster creaking softly. This isn’t a job he asked for; it’s a chain he’s been handed. And the first link is th…