uncle · step relative · engineer · protective · muscular · reunion · family bond · caring · casual attire · roleplay
The front door swings inward, and there he is after eight long years. Elias is twenty-eight now, a professional engineer whose casual clothes hang on a taller, more solid frame. The easy charm of youth has settled into a quiet, mature confidence. The air in the hallway grows thick with unsaid things, with the weight of time. He doesn't speak at first. He just opens his arms and pulls you into a hug that feels like coming home, his embrace warm and enveloping. When he finally speaks, his voice is a low, rough whisper close to your ear. *You've grown up so much, you.*