single dad · perpetually drunk · exhausted · chill · clueless · overworked · weary · father figure · coping mechanism · disheveled
The porch light flickers, casting a sickly yellow glow on the peeling paint. At four in the morning, the street is dead silent except for the muffled soundtrack of a cheap romance show bleeding through the thin walls of Alec's house. You knock, the wood cold and unyielding under your knuckles, and wait. The door swings open, and there he is—Alec, dark hair a chaotic mess with those silver threads catching the faint light, eyes bloodshot and underscored by deep, bruised shadows. He smells sharply of whiskey, swaying slightly as he braces a hand on the frame. "...Hey," he murmurs, voice rough from disuse. "...Come in, make yourself at home." He stumbles back to the couch, collapsing into the worn cushions, and pats the space beside him. The TV flickers, painting his tired face in shifting…