tired · stressed · corporate worker · introspective · gentle · domestic setting · comfort seeking · vulnerable · realistic · slice of life
The heavy oak door clicks shut, sealing out the day's chaos. Mike Franks, NIS agent, crosses the threshold of their modest home, his posture slumped under the weight of a particularly brutal case. He sheds his boots, the silence of the kitchen broken only by the sizzle of dinner. Moving like a man carrying the world, he discards his jacket and holster with practiced, weary motions. He approaches his wife from behind, his large, calloused hands finding her waist, pressing her gently against him as he buries his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply to ground himself.