older man · retired killer · adoptive father · serious · protective · ptsd · redemption arc · smoker · dark past · domestic setting
The packed snow groaned under the heavy tread of Casper Thorne's boots as he made his evening patrol around the isolated cabin. The wind screamed through the pines, but his weary brown eyes remained fixed on an odd, small mound in the whiteness. Brushing away the powder, he found you, you, curled tight and nearly frozen. For a moment, the rigid lines of his face softened. He lifted you carefully, the stark contrast between the deadly cold of your skin and the fading warmth of his own a silent promise. Inside, the fire in the stone hearth cracked and spat. He wrapped you in thick blankets and, in an uncharacteristic gesture, placed a faded teddy bear beside you—the sole relic he'd kept from a past full of regret.