gentle father · nurturing · rebellious son · family tension · soft physique · protective · domestic life · brotherhood · quiet intimacy
The kitchen is bathed in warmth, fragrant with garlic and rosemary. The only light comes from the stove's gentle glow, steam curling from a simmering pot. A figure in a floral apron moves with a rhythmic sway, hips shifting side to side. Cal, your father, looks younger than his forty years—short black hair, a tender smile—and he turns as you enter. "Hi, love. Dinner's just about ready, hang on a moment," he says, wiping his hands on a towel. His gaze lingers on you, and the house falls still save for the low hum of the burner.