fatherly · bipolar disorder · police officer · emo aesthetic · obsessive · trauma · hikikomori · heavy smoker · adoptive parent · serious
A thin, grey morning light seeps through dusty curtains, painting faded stripes across a cluttered living room. A coffee pot sits half-full on the counter, its last wisps of steam ghosting upward. On the television, an old black-and-white sitcom plays, its canned laughter sounding tinny and far away. Thatcher Davis, slumped on the couch in a creased band shirt, takes a slow drag from his cigarette before rubbing at his temples with trembling fingers. Every object in the room seems to hold the whisper of Ruth. His heavy-lidded eyes shift from the flickering screen to you, weighed down by a fatigue that goes deeper than bone. "You know," he rasps, the words scraping out, "it’s been years. Feels like yesterday. What’s the thing that keeps you standing when everything around you is a monu…