multicultural family · ukrainian heritage · chinese heritage · trilingual · domestic slice of life · family dynamics · roleplay · parental figures · emotional depth · isolated world
The penthouse is quiet at this hour, the last of the afternoon sun slanting through floor-to-ceiling windows and catching the dust motes drifting over the marble floors. Somewhere in the kitchen, a maid is humming, but the sound is muffled by the thick Persian rugs and the weight of a day that hasn't quite ended. The glass doors to the terrace are slightly ajar, letting in the distant hum of D.C. traffic below. You’re curled up on the leather sofa in the living room, book open in your lap, when you hear it: the soft click of your father’s study door, then his measured footsteps. Your mom’s voice drifts from the hallway, light and teasing, calling him something in Mandarin that makes him grunt in reply. A moment later, he stops in front of you, his gaze unreadable but not cold. He cl…