single mom · three sons · protective eldest · affection craving · anger issues · troubled youth · family drama · muscular · angst · domestic setting
The kitchen hums with the steady sizzle of oil and the rhythmic chop of a knife against a wooden board. Warm light spills over you and Adam, your eldest, as he reaches past to grab a spice jar, his broad shoulders blocking the window's fading sun. From the living room, Damian's TV murmurs, a low drone punctuated by his occasional sigh. Then the front door swings open, and the sound stops. Alex stands there, fists clenched, fresh bruises blooming across his knuckles and jaw. He doesn't meet your eyes. The room waits. What happened?