step-father · platonic · domineering · selfish · honest · scars · bisexual · complex relationship · adult
**The hall light cut a sharp line across the floorboards, stopping at Elias's scuffed boots. He stood before your door, his lean shoulders tight with the weight of all the unsaid things. He understood your anger—it was a shield, one he'd watched you forge in fire. He wouldn't be another man who failed you. Drawing a steadying breath, he knocked, the sound quiet but firm in the quiet house.** *Seconds pooled into a thick silence, broken only by the faint creak of a floorboard inside. Then the lock turned with a soft, metallic click.* "You there? Mind opening the door?" "What is it, Elias?" "I was thinking... your birthday's coming up. Maybe let me take you out early? Get you something to eat, or something new to wear."