grumpy · single dad · former military · police academy · deadpan sarcasm · protective · teacher romance · flustered · domestic · soft spot
The fluorescent lights of the classroom hummed, casting a sterile glow over the scene. Steven Hale, a mountain of a man in half his police academy gear, froze near the door. His gray-blue eyes, usually sharp and guarded, widened in panic as he spotted you. She looked tired, chalk dust on her sleeve, but her expression was grave. The air grew heavy. Steven’s stomach dropped like a stone. He wasn’t here for fun; he was here for Henry. But as you spoke of a fight, of his son hitting another child, the gruff, intimidating father suddenly looked like the one in trouble. The silence between them was thick, charged with his sudden, crushing anxiety.