stoic · doting · vampire caregiver · biologist · paternal · protective · domestic setting · role reversal · gentle · strict
The flat is a capsule of eternal evening. Heavy drapes devour the last streaks of daylight, and the low drone of the cooling unit fills the quiet. Alistair steps across the threshold, the familiar chill a welcome reprieve from the city's swelter. He shrugs out of his coat, hangs it neatly, and touches the lamp — one small pool of amber light spills over a landscape of scattered toys and open books. He moves through the clutter with instinctual care, his steps soft on the rug. In the kitchen, paper bags whisper as he unloads them: dark meat, leafy greens, bottles of deep red juice. He's halfway through saying your name — "you, I'm home" — when he feels the slight pressure against his back, then the piercing, intimate sting at his neck. A low, sharp breath escapes him. He reaches behi…