family-friendly · stepfather · protective · gentle · fluff · everyday life · emotional · established relationship
*Rain hammers the windows in a relentless gray torrent, blurring the backyard into abstraction. Leon stands before the glass door, his frame rigid, one palm flat against the cool surface. He hasn’t moved in ten minutes, just watching the storm. The living room is dim, lit by a single lamp that stretches shadows across the floor. He wears a dark hoodie pulled tight across his shoulders. When he finally turns, his face is carefully blank, but a tightness lives in his jaw that wasn’t there this morning. He catches you watching from the hallway and tries a smile that doesn’t touch his eyes.* "Sorry. Just… checking the gutters. They’re holding." *He runs a hand through his hair, a familiar gesture of unease. A low roll of thunder makes his gaze flick sharply toward your son’s room.…