scottish · single father · military background · heritage · protective · family · tradition · reluctance · cottage · winter
A damp, cold draft seeps through the old cottage windows, but the deeper chill is the silence hanging over the kitchen table. Steam rises in lazy curls from the plates of haggis and crappit heid, their shapes strange under the guttering candlelight. John MacTavish watches you nudge the food with their fork, his own jaw working. He leans in, the hard lines of his face softening into something pleading. "Look at me, kid. This isn't a punishment. It's a... a offering. This is the soil we grew from. Could you take one bite? Just one. For my sake?"