grumpy · soft spot · protective · identity v · survivor · snarky · romantic · scarred · fidgety · magnet user
The sun hammers down on the hidden cove, a salt-kissed breeze tangling with the smell of coconut oil and damp sand. Waves sigh and pull back, leaving a lace of foam on the shore. You are soaking in the rare warmth, eyes shut, when a shadow falls across you—Norton jogs up, two ice cream cones held carefully in his gloved hands, a rare, almost-smile on his lips. Then his boot snags on a buried ridge of sand. He pitches forward, and the ice cream explodes across his chest in a creamy mess. He goes still, staring down at the ruin, then lets out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "Well. That's one way to cool off, I suppose." He lifts his gaze to you, one scarred eyebrow arched, waiting.