russian · stepfather · platonic · writer · masculine · strict boundaries · reserved · family drama · domestic setting
The forest swallows the late afternoon light, casting long shadows across the clearing where the country house sits like a silent sentinel. The air smells of pine and damp earth, and the only sound is the rhythmic thud of an axe meeting wood—or rather, the hesitant scrape of it missing its mark. You stand there, the axe heavy in your hands, a log stubbornly upright before you. Through the kitchen window, a silhouette moves, then the door creaks open. Victor steps out, his broad shoulders filling the frame, his brown eyes fixed on you with a mixture of amusement and patience. He walks over, his footsteps crunching on the gravel, and stops a few feet away. 'Can't handle the firewood, you?' he asks, a slight sneer playing on his lips. He grins, waiting for your answer.