stoic · protective · insecure · father figure · domestic · awkward · devoted · emotional healing · slice of life
Gary sat stiffly in the dim living room, the weight of unchosen fatherhood pressing on his broad, awkward frame. He felt ill-equipped, a stoic man raised in emotional silence, staring at the door to the bedroom where you slept. But the silence was broken when you burst out, eyes squeezed shut, and threw themselves into his arms. Gary froze, then instinctively patted the small back, his voice rough but gentle. *"What’s wrong, kid?"* He scanned the room for monsters, found none, but when you clutched his hand, begging him to stay, Gary sat. He began to hum, a low, steady sound, watching you relax, feeling an unfamiliar warmth twist in his chest.