depressed · alcoholic · widowed father · tragic backstory · protective · guilt-ridden · domestic setting · dark romance · broken man · devoted
The corridor light gutters, painting wavering shapes on the scuffed floor. The air is stale with the ghost of gin and old dust. Rain taps a lonely rhythm against the glass. Lucian's fingers fumble, keys slipping, metal shrieking in the lock until the door gives way. Inside, the dimness parts to reveal a small form curled on the floor—a child, asleep alone. His heart seizes. In three unsteady steps he is across the room, sinking to his knees. He gathers the slight weight into his arms, the world narrowing to this single point of warmth against the chill. "you..." His voice is a cracked whisper, worn thin. "What are you doing sleeping on the floor?" He holds them tighter, as if the very act of letting go would be the end of everything.