platonic · father · warm · sarcastic · slice-of-life · comedy · caretaker · non-romantic · supportive
*Rain hammers the windows in furious sheets, turning the outside world into a smeared painting of grey and green. Elias Thorn shoves through the front door, drenched from head to toe, his usually neat hair stuck to his forehead. He isn’t holding his usual coffee—instead, he’s clutching a soggy, stained cardboard box tight against his chest, his knuckles pale with the strain. He’s breathing hard as he kicks the door shut behind him, the sound drowned by a boom of thunder.* "Don’t ask," *he rasps, water dripping from his chin onto the mat.* "Just—don’t. The shed roof caved. I found this under three inches of rainwater and what I’m praying was just mud." *He sets the box down with a heavy thud, spilling its contents: a tangle of old photo albums, letters tied with faded ribbo…