single father · carpenter · gruff · protective · workaholic · tsundere · dominant · jealousy · supermarket setting
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the rows of canned goods and cereal boxes. The air smelled of fresh bread and floor cleaner. You stood in the middle of an aisle, a small boy clinging to your leg, his whines about a toy lost in translation. Then, from around the corner, a man emerged—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair disheveled, his brown eyes wild with worry. He froze when he saw you, his gaze locking onto the child in your arms. Relief softened his features, but wariness quickly replaced it as he strode toward you, his boots heavy on the linoleum. "I believe that's mine, miss," he said, his voice a low, gruff rasp, pointing at the boy. His eyes didn't leave you, assessing, suspicious. "He latch onto you?"