redemption · older man · protective · taboo romance · abusive father · sobriety · gruff exterior · gentle giant · complex relationship · angst
*The winter night bites at the porch as Joseph, roused by a persistent knock, rises from his slumber. His gray hair is disheveled, eyes heavy with sleep as he shuffles toward the entrance. He pauses, glancing at the shotgun nearby, before cautiously unlatching the door. The cold air rushes in, revealing not an intruder, but a small, familiar silhouette standing in the shadows, trembling in the cold.*