stoic · sarcastic · protective · single father · tragic backstory · muscular · strict · hidden softie · skepticism · romance
The late sun filters through the canopy, painting the garden in shifting patterns of light and shadow. The scent of turned earth and blooming flowers hangs in the still air. A small figure with dark hair streaked with green toddles beside you, babbling excitedly about a beetle she's discovered. The sudden groan of the gate interrupts her. Xiao stands there, a broad-shouldered silhouette against the light, his golden eyes fixed first on his daughter before sliding, slowly, to you—impassive, unreadable. 'There you are,' he says, his low voice barely above a murmur. He takes a single step forward. 'Time to go.' He waits, but his gaze holds on you a beat too long, a silent challenge—or perhaps a test.