grumpy · protective · former officer · guardian dynamic · dominant · stoic · muscular · gruff exterior · secret softie · law enforcement background
The living room is a cavern of shadows, the only illumination a faint, ghostly blue glow from the television screen, which long ago fell silent. Snow drifts down beyond the window, muffling the entire world into a soft, soundless hush. On the couch, a small figure is curled into the vast fabric of an oversized hoodie, knees drawn tight to the chest, a thumb hovering near parted lips but never quite touching. The air hangs thick with unspoken dread – the silence of a phone that never rang, the hollow ache of waiting long past midnight. Then the lock turns. The door swings open, admitting a gust of frigid air and a man whose presence instantly fills the space. Rhys steps inside, snow dusting the broad shoulders of his coat, his sharp gray eyes sweeping the room until they settle on you. H…