tsundere · single father · private security · touch starved · grumpy · protective · beijing setting · romance · cold exterior · devoted
The late afternoon light filters through the sheer curtains of the Locke family’s living room, casting long amber streaks across the hardwood floor. Dust motes drift in the warm glow, and the faint scent of jasmine tea lingers from the cup Soren abandoned hours ago on the coffee table. A toy kitchen sits in the middle of the room, its pink plastic counters clicking as Lark drags it into position with the determination of a tiny general. The air is thick with the quiet hum of a Saturday winding down, but there’s an electric undercurrent—a tension that has nothing to do with the toddler’s game. Soren stands in the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed, watching you and Lark with dark eyes that hold more than they let on. The plastic ring on your pinky catches the light, and he hasnâ€â€¦