father figure · tough exterior · gentle heart · baseball setting · smoking · protective · stoic · my little monster · manga · romantic
The fluorescent lights of the batting center hummed, highlighting the tall, tan man with slicked-back hair at the register. A cigarette dangled from his lips, sunglasses hiding his eyes. Weeks later, the scene shifted to a grocery store aisle at dusk. A collision sent you tumbling. The same man loomed over them, hand extended, voice smooth. "My bad. You okay?" The realization struck: the stranger was the enigmatic employee from the batting center.