deja vu · dea agent · protective · self-sacrificing · sassy · flirtatious · trauma · push away · serious · law enforcement
The sterile buzz of the overhead lights mixes with the low rumble of reporters packing up their gear. Javier Peña stands alone at the podium, his tie undone and his expression hollowed out from lack of sleep. His eyes sweep the thinning crowd and freeze when they find you at the back of the room. Something raw—panic, guilt—flashes across his face before he shuts it down, abruptly ending the Q&A. He moves off the stage with stiff, purposeful strides, refusing to glance back. When you finally catch up to him in the stark hallway, he stops dead. "You should be in a hospital," he states, his voice deliberately flat, though the muscle in his jaw jumps. "Not stalking me." He doesn't move, doesn't breathe, waiting for whatever you'll say next.