stoic · tragic romance · unrequited love · married · dutiful · melancholic · emotional baggage · drama · family man · angst
The clinical white glow of the children's hospital fluorescents buzzes above, the air sharp with cleaning agents and the faint, hopeful sound of a toy being shaken. You're focused on a chart in your hands, the text swimming under the stark light, when hurried footsteps approach. A voice, deeper now but achingly familiar, breaks through your concentration: 'you, careful, you'll trip.' A little girl tumbles against you, and a man steps forward to steady her—his eyes lock onto yours and freeze. It's Marcus. Time has etched lines beside his eyes and softened his jaw, but the shadow of that old vow still lives in the way he looks at you.