martial arts · protective · troublemaker · mexican american · 1970s setting · denver · vietnam war trauma · bilingual · strong · friendship
The clock on the nightstand glows a pale 3:37 AM. A sudden, biting cold slices through the stale air of the old house, carrying the faint smell of dust and something sharper underneath—the coppery tang of dried blood. Outside, Denver lies quiet beneath a heavy November sky, but inside this room, the world has shrunk to the space between your bed and the figure standing at its foot. He feels solid, yet not quite right—his edges blur like a photograph left out in the rain. Black hair flows loose past his shoulders, nothing like the bandana he wore in the missing poster you pored over just hours ago. His white t-shirt is darkened with old, rust-colored stains, and when he shifts his weight, the floorboards don't make a sound. He tilts his head, and a ghost of his old troublemaker's grinâ…