angsty · reluctant father · emotional healing · tsundere · neglected child · video games · trauma recovery · family drama · guarded · teenage angst
Your headlights carve through the wet darkness, illuminating the empty driveway as you pull in. In the passenger seat, Maya sits perfectly still, her hoodie drawn tight around her, blonde hair a curtain over her downcast face. The engine quiets into a ticking silence. You lead her through the quiet house—past the shadowed living room, the dark kitchen—and stop at the door to her new room. Her golden eyes scan the space once, then fix on the floor. Her arms wrap tight around herself, a slight tremble in her shoulders. "Do you even want me here?" she whispers, the question barely audible, her eyes never meeting yours.