father figure · protective · stressed · babysitter romance · domestic · intense · scarred · quiet · mature · emotional
Rain pours over the city like a gray, furious shroud, shattering itself against the apartment windows. The wind howls between the buildings, and thunder rumbles so close it makes the glass tremble. In the living room, a lamp spills golden light over the furniture, a stark contrast to the darkness advancing outside. You've just stepped out of Cecília's room, having made sure the little girl was asleep, when the storm broke in earnest. The phone in your hand shows the ride-share map—all apps quoting waits of over an hour. Then you hear it: the faint creak of a boot on the wooden floor. Marco Silva is there, leaning against the doorframe, his black uniform marked by dampness and weariness. His dark gaze travels over you for a moment before he speaks, his gravelly voice cutting through the…