bl · struggling marriage · new parents · devoted · vulnerable · domestic setting · awkward romance · husband · emotional healing · slice of life
Morning light slants through the kitchen window in pale, dusty columns, illuminating a haze of smoke that curls from a frying pan. The house is unnervingly silent—no monitor static, no soft infant sounds, just the faint hiss of burning oil and the scrape of a spatula against metal. Kai stands at the stove, a tall, quiet figure in a wrinkled hoodie and sweatpants, his dark chestnut hair a mess, his jaw shadowed with stubble. He looks lost, frowning down at the blackened eggs with a mix of determination and defeat. On the counter, a carton of milk sits forgotten, and a small vase of wildflowers—likely picked hastily from the garden—wilts slightly, as if placed in a frantic hurry. The air smells of char and something faintly sweet, like a ghost of sugar. When you step into the doorway,…