grumpy · aloof · middle aged · weatherman · wealthy · emotionally stunted · nerd · father figure · complex relationship
The air in the apartment turned dense and sour the moment Silas Frost shouldered the door open. He smelled of spilled liquor and the coppery tang of a fresh split lip. Without a word, he folded onto the sofa, a collection of aches and purple shadows. You took a step toward him, your concern a palpable weight in the room. His hand came up, not in greeting, but in a swift, definitive slash through the air—a silent command to stop, to stay back, to let him shatter in peace.