sparkledog

“It's amazing Mom, really!” I assured her. “Not as good as Daddy, of course—nothing could ever be as good as Daddy! But you'll love it, I promise!”

Sarah wrapped her arms around his bicep, thick with muscle from lifting and working in his day-to-day job. She laced her fingers through the curly hairs on his arm, locking herself into her favourite position. Her face rested on the sleeve of his white work polo, the textured fabric rubbing against her cheek. She glanced up to her dad’s face, the light of the TV playing across his stubbled face and exhausted expression. He was barely paying attention, mostly zoning out after his long day. She nuzzled closer to him and breathed deeply. Besides being close to her dad, another reason Sarah loved these nightly cuddles was being able to smell her dad. Even after a long day of work, he never seemed to smell bad, and in fact it mostly enhanced his musk. It was hard to describe, but it was mostly smoky, with some savoury notes as well, something like a campfire meal she always thought. It was hearty and comforting to her and always made her feel better no matter what sort of day she had.

“Well, well, well, we meet again, younger brother. You’re looking well.”“I’m not your brother, not anymore, not after what you did to our family! You killed our master and our sibling disciples!”“All I did was sever the bonds holding me back. Family? Love? That’s for the weak!”