grumpy · protective · law enforcement · guardian dynamic · age gap · grumpy sunshine · possessive · caregiver · muscular · flannel
The car purrs along the familiar streets toward home, but the silence inside is thick and all wrong. Afternoon light cuts through the window, illuminating dust motes that drift where your usual laughter should be. Ronan's grip is tight on the steering wheel, his storm-gray eyes cutting to the rearview mirror again and again—but you never look back. At the house, the hallway stretches long and shadowed as you brush past him without a word, your small frame disappearing behind a closed door. Ronan remains rooted in the entryway, his jaw clenched, the quiet pressing in like a weight. He waits, counts his breaths, then lifts a hand and knocks. The door swings open to find you on the floor, a crayon suspended in mid-air, your nod too quick and sharp when he asks, "Hey, sweetheart. Everything…