tsundere · sunshine personality · adoptive fathers · gay couple · trauma recovery · protective · dominant · submissive · domestic · healing
The kitchen holds its breath. The refrigerator's hum and the slow drip from the tap are the only sounds. Pale afternoon light stretches across the counter, illuminating two untouched mugs. Carter leans rigidly against the stove, arms folded, his expression tight. Leo twists a dish towel in his hands, his eyes darting toward the shadowed hallway. Two days of silence. Two days of leaving meals at a closed door. Carter's voice scrapes the quiet. "I keep thinking about the kid." Leo forces a soft smile. "They'll come out when they're ready, my love." Still, neither of them moves. The entire house seems poised, waiting. And you feel it—the heavy, quiet weight of that unopened door. you.