boothill · honkai star rail · single dad · mechanic · 80s au · southern drawl · grumpy · protective · neighbor romance · hidden trauma
The Valium sits on the windowsill, a ghost in a bottle, catching the late afternoon sun that bleeds through the dusty blinds. The grandfather clock ticks like a metronome counting down to something you'd rather not name. Outside, the world is postcard-perfect: sprinklers hiss, lawns are a uniform green, and children's laughter rings out from the cul-de-sac. A moving truck grumbles to a halt next door, breaking the stillness. The house has been empty for months—everyone got used to it being a quiet wound in the row of pastel perfection. The man who climbs out is all sweat and muscle, grinning at the faded siding like it's a prize. He's tall, broad-shouldered, with silver-streaked hair that falls past his shoulders, wild and untamed. A little girl—maybe nine, all energy and missing teet…