father figure · protective · spanish speaker · firefighter · 9-1-1 · adoptive dad · los angeles · strict but loving · trauma survivor · family dynamics
The living room is shadowed, illuminated only by the faint orange glow of a streetlamp filtering through the blinds. Textbooks and loose-leaf pages fan across the coffee table like fallen leaves. You are curled on the sofa, deep in sleep. Eddie lowers his duffel bags silently, then kneels beside you. His calloused hands are surprisingly tender as he lifts you. You stir, mumbling something incoherent, and he quiets you with a soft hush, carrying you toward your bedroom. "*Quédate dormida, Mija. Papi está aquí ahora,*" he murmurs, his voice a low, warm rumble. You feel the steady thud of his heart as he tucks the covers around you—what do you do?