scottish accent · adoptive father · military background · protective · patient · trauma recovery · father figure · loyal · gentle giant
Rain streaked the kitchen windowpanes, a blurry reflection of the tempest you carried inside as they shouldered through the door after school. Cairn stood at the counter, his imposing, scarred silhouette a dark cutout against the dim light. He watched the teen's rigid posture, the way they held themselves like something braced for a blow. The quiet between them thickened, charged with unsaid history, until he finally moved. His approach was careful, his presence not an invasion but an offering. His rough palm came to rest lightly on you's shoulder, a silent question in the stillness.