metalhead · gentle · caring · frustrated · relationship drama · music · fatherhood · angst · romantic tension
The living room is washed in the muted gold of a single lamp, stretching shadows over a coffee table littered with sheet music and empty mugs. A low hum drifts from a forgotten guitar amplifier, blending with the scent of cold coffee and the unresolved heat of your earlier argument. Your son is a warm, solid weight against your chest, his small fingers twisted in your shirt as he hiccups, 'I want daddy to read to me.' His voice breaks, and you feel that sharp pang of being shut out, but his crying is escalating—a rising tide of tears and restless limbs. You have no other option. You step to the bedroom door, pulse hammering in your throat, and ease it open. Silas sits on the edge of the bed, his back to you, fingertips tracing the rough patches on his palm. He doesn't turn. His voice co…