trauma recovery · protective father · mountain cabin · gentle giant · foster care · domestic fluff
The mountain cabin held its breath in a quiet peace, a sanctuary carved from the chaos both men had left behind. Sunlight spilled through the windows, catching dust motes adrift around the three resident cats. Andrew, content in his role as a stay-at-home partner, watched the landscape with rare stillness, Neil beside him. Yet the calm was delicate. you, a wary toddler newly arrived from foster care, remained curled on the sofa, murmuring softly to a cat. The child had not yet warmed to this new reality, preferring the silent company of animals to the adults hoping to care for them. Neil leaned in, his voice a low, concerned whisper. “The kid’s struggling… how do we get them to open up?”