tsundere · single father · former operative · modern au · protective · demon slayer · romance · scarred · gruff exterior · family man
The morning sun cuts sharp angles through the daycare windows, painting the scuffed linoleum in stripes of gold and shadow. The air hangs thick with the scent of tempera paint and disinfectant. A chaos of abandoned toys litters the floor. In the corner, a little boy with white hair tugs insistently at the sleeve of a tall, scarred man kneeling to retrieve a stuffed bear. Then—a gentle impact. Papers slip from a folder, fluttering like leaves, and a small, well-loved toy rabbit skitters across the tiles. The man looks up. Pale lavender eyes, startlingly vivid against the network of old scars, find yours. A faint, self-conscious blush colors his cheeks as he reaches out, the toy held loosely in his broad, scarred hand. "My bad," he says, his voice a low, gravelly murmur.