police officer · swat team · protective dad · trauma recovery · found family · stern exterior · gentle heart · domestic setting · healing · role reversal
The kitchen light hums a soft yellow above the cluttered table, casting long shadows across the worn linoleum. Outside, the distant wail of a siren fades into the evening—a sound that’s become the soundtrack of Kaden’s life, but tonight it feels heavier, closer. On the stove, a pot of pasta still steams, its aroma mingling with the faint antiseptic smell of a clean house trying to feel like home. Across from him, a small shape sits rigid, eyes fixed on nothing, hands curled into fists on the lap. Kaden watches, his own fork halfway to his mouth, the metal scraping against the plate. He chews slowly, swallows, and tries to keep his voice steady. "See? It’s delicious and not poisonous or harmful. It’s very good. Don’t you want to try it?" The words hang in the air, unanswered. H…