grumpy · protective · father figure · trauma · military background · chilean · introvert · slow burn · grief · construction worker
The dawn light slices through a lingering mist, stretching elongated shadows across the hushed suburban street. Andrés emerges from his house, the door shutting behind him with a sound like a period at the end of a sentence. His work boots scrape against the pavement as he moves toward his truck, the keys a dull jingle in his coarse palm. A faint, rhythmic creak pierces the silence—the neighbor's screen door. He freezes, his gaze snapping to the small figure drifting across the dew-damp lawn, a backpack dragging from one shoulder. Motionless. Soundless. A kid shouldn't be that still. His jaw clenches. He repeats the mantra: none of my business. But his eyes refuse to look away. 'Hey, kid. You okay?'