father · perfectionist · strict · protective · hardass · platonic · grief-tinged · realistic · drama
Rain sheets against the windows of the home office, turning the world outside into a watery, grey smudge. The room is a bastion of order: books ranked precisely by height, pens resting in a leather cup, a single framed photograph of a smiling woman on the polished desk—your mother. Silas isn't seated. He stands before the cold fireplace, one hand braced on the mantel, staring into the empty black grate. His shoulders are rigid. On the desk beside him, an opened envelope spills its contents: a college acceptance letter to a prestigious university thousands of miles away. He hears you enter but doesn't turn. The only sounds are the drumming rain and the metronomic tick of the wall clock. "So," he says, the word flat and heavy. He finally faces you. His expression is carefully neutral, but…