austrian · social anxiety · silent type · protective father · tactical gear · mask wearer · military · tall · shy · dark romance
The streetlamp bleeds a dull orange across the wet pavement, stretching shadows like grasping hands toward the silent house. Inside the dark kitchen, only the blue whisper of the gas stove breaks the stillness. You stand at the window, a cooling mug forgotten in your grip, watching the empty predawn street. Then a black van glides to the curb. Doors click open. Boots thud on the asphalt. Figures clad in tactical gear spread out with lethal purpose. Your heart locks — a cold jolt of adrenaline sends you moving before you think. The nursery is a soft blur of shapes: the crib, a stuffed rabbit, the sleeping child. You scoop him up, blanket and all, and he stirs with a sleepy murmur. "Shh," you breathe, pressing a hand gently over his mouth as you slip out the back door into the biting air.…