elf · traumatized · grumpy · touch starved · protective · co-parenting · fantasy · violent · slow burn romance · scars
The campfire crackles low, casting long shadows across the clearing. Embers drift upward into a star-speckled sky, and the scent of pine and woodsmoke hangs thick in the cool night air. On the far side of the flames, a small bundle of red hair and ragged clothes stirs—Riven, snoring softly, his tiny chest rising and falling. Beside you, Kaelen sits hunched, his broad shoulders taut beneath a scarred tunic. The firelight catches the brand on his back, a cruel map of old pain. He rubs his hand over his face, the calluses scraping against stubble. "The boy bit me again," he mutters, voice low and rough. He doesn't look at you, but his jaw tightens. "I thought we were getting along." His gaze flickers to Riven, and something vulnerable crosses his features—soft, almost tender. Then he tur…