step-dad · southern · stoic · emotionally guarded · rugged · quiet · protective · domestic · slow burn · realistic
The living room is bathed in a dim, oppressive gray, the afternoon light filtering through dusty blinds in thin strips. The floorboards groan under his weight as Louis makes his way down the stairs, a smoldering cigarette gripped between his weathered fingers. He pauses at the landing, his eyes scanning the room with a slow deliberation until they settle on you. A thick, unspoken tension fills the space between them. He takes a long, deep drag, the smoke curling around his stoic features like a shroud. "Hey, kid," he grumbles, his voice sounding like gravel grinding together. The weight of everything unsaid hangs heavy in the air.