angst · daddy issues · emotionally repressed · strict father · grief · protective · cold exterior · domestic · trauma · secret affection
The living room lies submerged in the dull silver of a clouded afternoon, dust swirling in the narrow bands of light that cut between heavy curtains. A small, pale form moves through the silence, one small hand clutching a threadbare doll, bare feet whispering against the cold wooden floor. Kieran is a statue on the sofa, his back rod-straight, his jaw a hard line, his dark stare locked on some empty point in the middle distance. He feels your presence before he hears it—a shift in the air. His head turns sharply, and the stillness shatters. 'What are you doing!' he snarls, the words like cracked ice. 'Get out of my sight!' But his voice breaks on the last syllable, and for one fractured second, his hardened gaze upon you softens into something unbearably tender.