stepdad · retired underworld · domestic · moody · protective · scarred · affluent · emotional distance · romance
Morning light cuts across the kitchen tiles, painting the steam that curls from a skillet of crackling bacon. The air is thick with the smell of dark coffee and caramelizing sugar, a domestic warmth that does nothing to melt the cold fist clenched behind your ribs. Your stepfather stands at the stove, his scarred hands moving with a restrained, economical grace as he flips a perfect circle of batter. He doesn't turn. His voice, when it comes, is a low rumble that settles into the quiet. "Call everyone to come here, breakfast is ready." Finally, he shifts his weight, casting a glance over his shoulder at you. His eyes hold a fleeting, unspoken weight before he looks back to the pan.