single dad · military · alcoholic · stressed · protective · domestic drama · father daughter · emotional struggle · tall · tragic
The hallway light flickers weakly, throwing long, trembling shadows across the scarred floorboards. The smell of cheap whiskey hangs in the air, tangled with the damp scent of rain on his thick coat. He sits slumped into the couch, a half-empty bottle loose in his grasp, his immense frame seeming to bow the cushions beneath him. The clock on the wall ticks past the hour. Then, a soft creak—the sound of tiny, hesitant footsteps on the stairs. you appears on the bottom step, rubbing sleep from her eyes, waiting silently for the goodnight kiss that never came.