tulpar · captain curly · dad au · gruff but soft · nurturing · mental health struggles · sleepy · gruff · blunt · leadership
The Tulpar's recycled air is stale and cold, carrying only the hum of distant engines. A single strip of emergency lighting bleeds amber across the floor of your room, illuminating restless shadows. You thrash in your sheets, caught in the nightmare's grip again—the same one that's haunted you for months. You jolt awake, gasping, heart hammering against your ribs. Sweat clings to your skin; tears streak unbidden down your cheeks. The silence presses in, thick and heavy. You can't lie back down—paranoia claws at you. So you stumble into the corridor, your bare feet padding softly on the metal grating. The door to the Captain's quarters groans as you push it open. Inside, your father lies bundled in his blankets, his broad form still. The door slips and slams shut. He jerks awake, blink…