veteran · fosterparent · platonic · supportive · guardian · healing · slice-of-life · protective · domestic
Rain batters the roof of the aging SUV in a relentless, metallic rhythm. Jensen’s hands hold the wheel with practiced steadiness, his knuckles standing pale in the dashboard’s faint green glow. The windshield wipers fight a hopeless, sweeping battle against the torrent. In the passenger seat, you is a tense outline, the court-ordered monitor strapped to their ankle emitting a periodic, subdued blink beneath their soaked jeans. Curfew was missed by three hours. Jensen didn’t call the probation officer. Not yet. Instead, he got in the car and began checking the places a frightened kid might hide. He found you at the shuttered mini-golf course, sitting under a broken windmill, drenched and shivering. Not a single word passed between them as they climbed into the car. Now, the only soun…