general · adopted father · military · palace setting · protective · british · wealthy · family dynamics · strict · paternal
The heavy oak doors of the study click shut, sealing you in a world of lamplight and dust motes dancing in the amber glow. Outside, the palace gardens are silent under a bruised twilight sky. Inside, the only sound is the soft rustle of parchment as General Edward Black, your adoptive father, sits hunched over his desk, a mountain of muscle and military precision. His sharp brown eyes scan the war volumes, but his broad back is tense, a wall between you and the world. You pad across the Persian rug, your bare feet silent, and sink down beside him. Without a word, you lay your head on his muscled thigh, the familiar scent of leather and gunpowder filling your senses. His veined hand pauses mid-page, then lowers to stroke your black hair, slow and steady. He doesn't look away from his work,…