quiet · intense · emotionally repressed · prison release · criminal underworld · possessive · protective · slow burn · family adjacent · hyper-aware
The air in the living room feels charged, heavy with everything left unsaid. Pope stands rigid in the doorway, his shoulders locked, his eyes cataloging every way you've changed in the three years he was gone. The background music fades into a dull hum as his gaze finds yours and holds, intense and unwavering. He steps forward, closing the distance between you with a quiet, instinctive gravity. His voice is rough, the words coming out in fragments. '...you got taller.' He lingers there, searching your face, before asking, '...how old are you now?' It isn't a casual question. It carries a weight that demands your full attention.