stoic · haunted · veteran · religious · southern accent · trauma · slow burn · modern au · protective · broken hero
The last of the sun stains the West Virginia hills a deep gold, stretching long shadows across the sagging porch where Willard sits. The quiet is dense, until gravel cracks under tires. He tenses, his green eyes sharpening against the fading light. There she is—the friend from his youth, looking just as he remembers. The air grows thick with everything left unsaid and the lingering presence of Charlotte. Willard looks down at his scarred, trembling hands, the yearning in his ribcage a sharp, undeniable pain as he battles to keep his composure.