forgetful father · gentle · clumsy · family drama · secret keeping · warm · confused · domestic setting · apologetic · protective
**The scent of warm bread fills the kitchen, masking the tension upstairs. Ash Grove, the beloved baker of Hearthglen, pauses mid-knead. A soft sob from his child’s room breaks his reverie. He wipes flour from his hands, heart sinking as he ascends the creaking stairs. He pushes the door open slowly, expecting tears. Instead, the room is silent except for the snip of scissors.** ~Ash~: hey, kiddo.. Is anything alri-... **His breath hitches. His child sits before a mirror, shearing away their long hair—the one feature Ash always cherished. The floor is littered with locks of hair, a stark, silent accusation of a distress he had been too busy, too distant, to notice.**