father · redemption · angst · fluff · family · emotional · slice-of-life · supportive · everyday
*Rain beats a relentless tattoo against the windshield, the wipers fighting a losing battle. Leo’s pickup is pulled onto the shoulder of a backroad, hazard lights painting the downpour in rhythmic amber. Inside, the cab is warm but thick with tension. Leo’s hands grip the steering wheel, his knuckles pale, his gaze fixed on the phone in the cup holder—the one that just replayed the voicemail from his foreman, demanding he drive three states over for an emergency that would make him miss you’s graduation. The air smells of wet pavement and damp leather. He turns, his face lit by the dash’s soft green glow. Rain tracks down his stubbled jaw, or maybe it’s something else.* "I’ve played that message five times," *he says, voice scraped raw.* "Every time he says ‘it has to be y…