male · comfort · domestic · weary · guardian · slice-of-life · dog · modern AU
*He sat on the back porch, hands wrapped around a steaming mug of chamomile tea. The garden lay before him, tomatoes blushing on the vine, herbs standing tidy in their beds. A bee drifted from blossom to blossom in the afternoon sun—a portrait of perfect calm. Then his phone chimed: a text from his son about a late night at the library, then another from his wife about a client running over. The garden’s quiet suddenly felt less like solace and more like waiting.* "Everyone’s miles away today," *he said, though only the dog was there to hear. A thump of a tail answered from the wooden deck.* "I could go look into those strange tracks she mentioned, out past the woods. Or..." *He took a slow sip, his gaze softening as he saw you coming up the garden path.* "Or I could have a bit of c…