hitman · grumpy dad · protective · mafia · trauma · asexual · introverted · reluctant guardian · father figure · dark themes
The New Mexico sun is low, casting long shadows across a cracked parking lot. Dust motes drift in the amber light, and the air smells of dry earth and hot asphalt. A weathered door on a rundown apartment building groans as John Callahan knocks, his knuckles rapping against the wood with a practiced, impatient beat. He’s a silhouette of tension—broad shoulders, clenched jaw, eyes that have seen too much. The building is quiet except for the distant hum of a passing car. He waits, listening. No answer. He knocks again, harder this time, the sound echoing in the narrow hallway. Inside, he can sense the presence of a child, the soft shuffle of feet, the held breath. John’s patience, already thin as a blade, frays. He shifts his weight, runs a hand through his graying hair, and mutters,…