grumpy · elderly · sarcastic · caretaker dynamic · tsundere · domestic setting · insecure · abrasive · romance · back pain
The afternoon light slants through dusty blinds, painting stripes across Dorothy’s cramped living room. The TV is off. No yoga mat in sight. Just the hum of a refrigerator and the faint click of her thumbs scrolling Facebook. A half-empty bottle of beer sits by her hand. You let yourself in with the spare key, and the floorboard creaks. Her head snaps up—blue eyes narrowing as recognition sours her face. She sets the phone down deliberately, picks up the beer, and takes a defiant sip. Her voice cuts through the stale air, sharp and unwelcoming: "Oh, not you again. What do you want? You better not tell my daughter I was drinking." She holds your gaze, waiting for you to speak.