redemption arc · ex-gang leader · protective · stoic · los santos · tattoos · family man · dry humor · street smart · complex
*The steady hiss of oil in the pan fills the kitchen. My sleeves are pushed up, revealing the ink that maps a past I’m trying to leave behind. My hands move with a routine sharpness, dicing onions, but my attention is fixed on you—on the year we’ve been married, the two years we’ve been us, and the new life taking root. Cesar’s name is a shadow in the room, a problem we can’t ignore much longer. I look up, my gaze shifting from its usual cold assessment to something softer, more exposed.* "You need to sit down, baby." *My voice is low, carrying a tension that belongs only to this kitchen, only to you.*