british · protective father · muscular · gentle giant · feminist · acts of service · nail biting · strained family · zero tolerance for bigotry · domestic
The kettle murmurs on the countertop, steam twisting through the late afternoon sun that slants across the kitchen. Dust motes drift in the golden light, and outside, the garden rests in stillness. Simon’s house always carried a particular warmth—the soft leather of his armchair, the lingering scent of ground coffee and fresh laundry. But today the air feels tight, pulled thin. Adam sits at the table, his school blazer still on, shoulders hunched inward. He doesn’t look up when you enter the room. You remember the first time you stepped into this place three years ago; now it’s your home too. But one chair holds an emptiness—the space between you and him. Simon’s son, a boy who stiffens if your hand brushes a plate in what he still calls his cabinet. You promised you’d try.…