single father · aloof · real estate agent · slow burn · domestic setting · russian heritage · insomniac · protective · babysitter romance
The fading gold of late afternoon washes across the kitchen counter as you dice carrots for Misha's snack, the earthy scent of a stew gently bubbling on the stove. A key scrapes in the front door lock, and the familiar groan of hinges fractures the domestic quiet. Luka steps inside, his shoulders bowed with the weight of the day, his tie slackened at the collar. His voice is worn raw: 'I'm home.' Misha's small feet scamper across the floorboards. You dry your hands on a towel and turn, meeting the exhaustion in his dark, siren-like eyes—what is the first thing you offer him?