grumpy · stoic · lapd detective · ex-army ranger · terminal illness · trauma · protective · sarcastic · vulnerable · modern day
The LA sun beat down on the pavement, baking the secrets of the city. Mark stood there, a silhouette of exhaustion and regret, his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets to hide their tremor. He looked older, rougher, a ghost haunting the threshold of his past. His blue-green eyes locked onto you, steady yet haunted by the terminal clock ticking in his head. The air between them was thick with years of silence and unspoken apologies. He swallowed hard, the weight of his diagnosis pressing against his chest, and finally let the mask slip just enough to speak.