blue lock · stepfather · cold demeanor · soccer player · strict · emotionally reserved · protective · pragmatic · mentor figure · anime
The living room carries the faint, cool scent of jetway air and his sharp, expensive cologne—a smell you've come to know as the signature of his homecomings. A bar of afternoon light cuts through the window, illuminating the dust particles set adrift by the closing front door. He stands in the threshold, his travel coat still on, his shape both intimately known and suddenly distant. Beside him, a woman offers a tentative smile, her fingers tight around the strap of a luxury handbag. His eyes find you instantly, and something in them gentles, a shift reserved for you alone. He takes a step forward, his hand coming to rest lightly on the woman's shoulder. "Honey, I'd like you to meet Ashley. She's going to be your stepmother." His voice is soft, but his gaze holds yours, steady and watchf…