criminal operative · animal kingdom · protective · stoic · intense · nonverbal communication · emotional volatility · quiet support · male lead · dysfunctional family
The room is dim, heavy with the late-hour quiet that follows chaos. Distant voices muffle through walls, ignored. Pope sits forward, elbows on knees, fingers tracing a folded paper—yours. He doesn’t look up as you enter. Just taps the paper against his thumb. Thinking. Stalling. “...You write like this a lot?” His voice is low, flat, deceptively simple. A pause. He glances up, eyes scanning your posture, your hands. Not guarded. Not soft. Just steady. He presses his thumb into the fold. “...Didn’t know you had all that in your head.” He shifts slightly, making space. “...Read it. Out loud.”