—fragile heart

Miles Dalton. 32. Providence Peak Native. New York Transplant. Father. Widower.  You're waiting because you thought it would follow, you thought there would be some logic, perhaps, something to pull it all together but here we are in the weeds again, here we are in the bowels of the thing: your world doesn't make sense...

[miles-dalton]

Name: Miles Eugene Dalton  Age: 32 Gender/Pronouns: Cis Man / He/Him Hometown: Providence Peak Occupation: Structural Engineer  Relationship Status: Widowed  Traits: Compassionate, Dependable, Passive, Avoidant  Children: Daughter (Sophie, 6) 

tw: spousal death, drunk driving

Miles was born and raised in Providence Peak; the third of four children, he grew up comfortably middle-class. If he had to describe his childhood in one word, it would be ‘idyllic’ - and that was in no small part thanks to his two best friends, Jonah and Lyla. The three of them met in diapers and were basically Providence Peak’s Golden Trio. 

Miles definitely occupied the Ron Weasley/sidekick position, which he did happily up until puberty kicked in and both boys started developing feelings for Lyla. From that moment on, it was all weird, unspoken, hormone-laced tension they did their best to ignore. Especially after Jonah conceivably ‘won’ and plucked up the courage to ask Lyla out first. (She said yes, and the rest was history.) Miles did his best to be happy for them, but it’s hard watching your best friend be with the girl you’re in love with. 

The plan had always been for the trio to move to LA after high school, but when faced with the idea of being the eternal third-wheel, Miles secretly applied to schools on the east coast as a backup plan. When the other two found out, it led to an awful, brutal fight where all the resentments they’d been holding against each other came out, and it tore them apart for good. Jonah and Lyla ended up moving to LA just the two of them, and Miles went to NYU on the opposite coast. Alone. 

College was a time of significant growth for Miles. It took some adjustment, but he finally learned how to be independent and see his own worth as an individual. And more importantly, he met his future wife, Sarah. They got married soon after college, and Miles started working at an architectural firm in the city while she continued her studies to become a psychiatrist. 

They welcomed their daughter Sophie 6 years ago, and for 5 years everything was perfect until Sarah was killed in a car accident. Miles was devastated, and decided it would be best to move back home to Providence Peak where his family could provide support as he raised his daughter alone. 

I’ve got some more in-depth info here, and a connections page here, if anyone wants to check it out!  I’m excited to get started, and Miles is open for anything and everything! 

[miles-dalton]

harper-thompson​: 

“I’m not going to lie, low-key is far more my style than giant family gatherings. Those are okay, every few years, but they’re super tiring.” Mentally and physically. Everyone in Harper’s family signed, but it was still sometimes hard to keep up with a huge dinner conversation, especially when people got over-excited and talked over each other. “Gosh, four am?” The redhead chuckled, head shaking. “I mean, Christmas is pretty exciting.” But Harper had no desires to get up at four am unless it was for work. Harper lit up at the offer. “Are you sure? That– that would be really nice. Maybe we’ll pop by after lunch, once we open presents and things.” 

**

“Yeah, you’re welcome anytime. Just text me before you head over. Sophie will be excited to see you.” Miles wasn’t usually quite so social - Sarah had always been a butterfly of the two of them - but having a parade of people come by to visit might help distract from the one person who couldn’t be there. “Thank you so helping me get decorations, by the way. I know I’m being neurotic, but I just kinda need this year to be perfect.” 

[miles-dalton]

atlaswilliams​: 

He knew nothing about decorating, but he wanted to give his daughter something to look at whenever she came over. “What if I want something that says clean and classy, but also a little bit of fun?” Maybe he was making things more complicated on the male before him out of pure amusement, but he needed the help and being a dick wasn’t going to get him that. “Depends on how big it is. Are we talking normal sized inflatable, or is it going to be bigger than I am? Believe it or not, but size matters sometimes.”

** 

His eyes narrowed as he considered, assessing it as though it were a serious conundrum. “I’d go with the old-school fat colored bulbs, with white icicles underneath.” It was more of a hassle, hanging two strings instead of one, but the effect should be pretty striking. “I think it’s something like eight feet? I saw it on Amazon. It’s hanging in my cart, but I haven’t pulled the trigger.” It was probably ridiculous. The energy bill alone would be monstrous. His neighbors would probably hate him. But he knew Sophie would love it. 

[miles-dalton]

caseybennett​: 

Casey took a sip of her hot cocoa as she listened to Miles’ stories of Christmases passed. Growing up she never had much in the way of family traditions though James and herself had managed to cultivate a few in the handful years they were initially on their own. It would be her first Christmas in Providence and to have made friends in such a short space of time, made her feel lucky. “And how would you rate his Santa get-up?” she asked with a laugh as she neatly unpacked the assorted baubles; it was something she heard of but had never witnessed for herself. “For the sake of Christmas in general someone should probably do the bait and switch with his spiked eggnog but if he can’t do it, why don’t you? You can make it the perfect misdirection! Or Mrs Claus could make a honored appearance.” Casey suggested, more than happy to help the man enact his plans for the perfect day. If there was one thing she appreciated, it was her friend’s devotion to his family. “Now where is that adorable munchkin of yours?”

** 

Miles was mainly complaining just to complain - he didn’t get to do it often these days, and Casey had become a friendly ear. “I’m definitely not an actor. Sophie’d sniff me out in a second, and then I’d have a far more difficult conversation on my hands.” Deeming the garland sufficiently un-tangled, he laid it on the ground and picked up the next string. “My mom took her for the morning. She should be back in an hour or so. I know she’s excited to see you.” 

[kylosrehn]

5.08 | 5.16 | 5.14

[miles-dalton]

celestineweathers​: 

“Why not? Santa impersonators need the work during the holidays. I can’t imagine they stay busy after Christmas is over,” she jested. “With Jesus. Lots and lots of Jesus.” Celestine winced slightly at unapproving tone in her voice. “I’m sorry, that sounded mean. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I don’t have a problem with it. I just–had my fill of it growing up? Now, I celebrate Christmas how I want to celebrate it.” She smiled awkwardly, looking to change the subject before things got too personal. “Anyways–what are your plans for the holidays? Doing anything special with your little lady?”

**

Miles had been raised in what could best be called a casually non-denominational Christian household. He knew the basic stories, had been raised with the standard teachings, but religion played no real part in his life. Sometimes he regretted that - in the few months directly following Sarah’s death, he would have done anything for the structure and the certainty the church granted - but for the most part, he was happier having his own personal relationship with whatever divine power the universe held. A part of him was fascinated to hear how Celeste’s story differed, but her tone suggested it was better for him to leave for the time being. 

“Christmas Eve at my parents. Christmas Eve probably way too early at my house. Then back to the parents again for dinner, I think.” Miles worried sometimes he relied too heavily on his parents’ kindness, but Christmas was the time for family, after all. “What about you? How is it you want to celebrate this year?” 

[miles-dalton]

carlavillanueva​: 

​Location: Expresso Yourself

Characters: Carla Villanueva & Miles Dalton  ( @miles-dalton​ )

CLOSED STARTER

The festive cheer had taken over the shops in Providence Peak, coffee shops included. Carla had to admit that she did like the special festive drinks that cropped up at this time of year, and the peppermint mocha sounded like a wonderful option. “You haven’t tasted the peppermint mocha by any chance?” She turned to ask the person behind her in line, only to realize who it was. “Oh my god. Miles!” She exclaimed at the sight of an old friend, a man she had grown up with. “I had no idea you were back,” she told him with a smile which soon faded as she realized the reason why he was probably in Providence Peak in the first place. “I heard… My deepest condolences.”

**

He couldn’t say for certain from behind, but there was something vaguely familiar about the person stood in front of him in line. If he would bolder, he would have made assumptions, tapped her on the shoulder, and greeted her like an old friend regardless, but that had never been his way. Her voice, however, sealed it, but by that point she had already turned around and greeted him first. 

Of course Sarah came up almost immediately - it wasn’t exactly a secret, and not addressing it upfront was almost more awkward than ripping it off like a bandaid. Miles was, if nothing else, accustomed to it now, and adopted the same gracious smile he’d long since perfected. “Thanks,” he nodded. “Yeah, we’re getting by.” A pat answer, and not exactly false because who can even say what ‘getting by’ means? “New York’s not really the best place for a child, so I decided it was better to raise Sophie here. How’ve you been?” 

[miles-dalton]

charliemulgrave​: 

Charlie nodded, glancing at the locket again almost absentmindedly. It would probably end up sitting at the back of his closest for the next several years or something, he wasn’t in the right mindset to be optimistic about his abilities to know which turns were the right ones coming up. Maybe Rachel would be okay. Maybe the two of them would figure things out.  But maybe not. And that tiny piece of doubt was enough to break him.

“Sounds like a pretty good plan,” he said. Kids like those sorts of things, he thought, or at least they did in his limited experience. Lockets had an old fashioned, heirloom feel to them that appealed. He could remember his little cousin begging her mom to let her wear one of her grandma’s necklaces to a family dinner one year–she’d insisted it was magic.  “How old is she?”

**

Something about this task felt heavy. It was a weight he couldn’t often put down, an absence as heavy as a black hole. But Sophie always made it lighter, a ray of sunshine amid all the gloom. As much as he didn’t know how to raise a daughter on his own, he knew he would be irrevocably lost without her.  “She’s six,” he said, a hint of a smile. And because he couldn’t stop himself, he pulled out his phone, showing off the background picture that never failed to tug at his heartstrings. It was Sophie and Sarah during an afternoon in Central Park, both with silly grins, their hair in matching braids. “This is her.” 

[miles-dalton]

mateo-hayes​: 

“Well there’s different definitions of perfect. My perception of perfect would not be the same as yours, so who cares? Whatever happens, happens and I’m sure your daughter will love it regardless.” He explained to him. “I’m sure it will be perfect to her. Just have to make sure it’s pretty and sparkly. That’s what she is going to remember from this. Do you need some help decorating? I would like to say that i’m pretty good with decorating. But that might just be a stereotypical gay thing, I don’t know.” He shrugged as he laughed a bit. 

**

Miles wasn’t entirely sure he believed it would be perfect no matter what. Sophie would always be his little girl - she was sweet and she was kind and he would love her to the ends of the world. But she had been through a lot, and grief was difficult at any age, but especially when you are too young to truly understand why. Most of the time, she was the same child he had always known - outgoing, carefree, and happy - but at others, she could be withdrawn, irritable, or even outright angry. He needed Christmas to be perfect because he wasn’t sure what Sophie he would get, and he wasn’t sure his heart could handle any more sadness of that day. But that seemed too difficult to explain, and he felt awful thinking he wanted his daughter be a certain way besides her authentic self. 

“I am so far from a decorator, so if you’re offering help, I won’t turn you down.” 

[miles-dalton]

dylan-westwick​:

character: Miles Dalton @miles-dalton

location: Claret Park neighborhood (between their houses)

Dylan had just gotten back from her trip, albeit brief, from her parent’s home in Georgia. Seeing Miles and Sophie decorating their front lawn she gave a wave towards the pair as she drove her car into her garage. Putting some stuff into her house, the garage door still open, she had smiled when Sophia had come over to give her a hug and say hello. Letting the little girl help her a bit as they spoke about their respective Thanksgivings, she finished bringing things inside before going out to talk with Miles. 

“Hey! It’s lookin’ good so far!” She complimented as she needed to start putting up her own decorations as well. “Sophie was bein’ a little helper, says she’s tryin’ to add a few more bonus points for Santa.” Dylan chuckled a bit as she saw the little girl in their front yard now. “How was your Thanksgiving?” She had gotten the little girl’s version of events, but was curious to see if they would differ from what Miles had to say.

**

It was the first time in Sophie’s short life that she had a lawn to decorate for Christmas, and yet you’d think she was making up for lost decades with the amount of decorations she’d insisted on. Putting lights on the trim was, as Miles put it, solely a ‘Daddy Duty,’ but that didn’t stop the little girl from stringing lights around every tree, bush, and shrub she could get her hands on, as well as placing the veritable menagerie of lighted woodland creatures. 

It was a relief when Dylan came home, providing a brief distract so Miles could catch his breath and take inventory. Sophie adored their next-door neighbor, and Miles couldn’t help but be fond by association. “Yeah,” he chuckled, accepting the compliment with the humility of someone who knew it probably looked more like a mess. A cherished mess, created by a cherish child, but a mess all the same... “We’re getting there. I think the plan is to be visible from space....” He said that jokingly, knowing if Sophie was within earshot, she would start to get ideas. 

“Thanksgiving was... good.” Hard, like all holidays were without Sarah, but luckily he had lots of family to help ease the pain. “My mom’s an amazing cook, and all the family flew in, so yeah... it was good. How about yours?” 

[miles-dalton]

everdaugherty​:

“That’s really sweet Miles. There’s definitely no way you can change up the tradition for her now.” Running a hand through his hair he stared up at the ceiling, letting all of his blond locks fall past his shoulders. “Dom and I will do something like normal. And now with Savannah…” He left his sentence off there while he thought about what he really wanted to say. Ever wanted to be able to have his own tradition with the girl, something that maybe she would fondly look back on. He knew finding out he ended up having a daughter after ten years was rough, but he could only imagine how it was for her. He wanted to make it up to her for not being able to be in her life for so long. Not that he had any say in it in the first place though. 

Snapping back into reality he sat forward again, going back to picking at the bits of tinsel that had fallen off onto the carpet. “I want to do something for Savannah too. I haven’t really thought a lot about it, but I want to make this Christmas one she remembers.”

**

Miles couldn’t even begin to imagine what Everett was going through. The thought of missing 10 years of Sophie’s life was unconscionable; he honestly couldn’t say what he would do in a similar situation. He sighed, putting down the decorations and meeting Everett on the couch. “Well, you’re welcome to come over to mine if I get this whole Santa business settled, but 10 might be a bit too old...” He bit his lip trying to think of all the best days he’d had with Sophie. “What if you did an adventure day? You could go skiing and get cocoa. Go to the zoo... The real secret is kids care more that you’re just spending time with them, and you’re invested.”  

[miles-dalton]

atlaswilliams​: 

“Sounds like your brother and I have a lot in common,” he joked, hazel hues focused on the lights he’d picked up. He wasn’t big on decorating his home, but this year offered more spirit and appreciation. “If you were trying to make shit look nice outside, would you go the alternating color changing lights or would you go with something like white lights?” He had no idea what to buy, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to get someone else’s opinion.

**

“Depends on what you mean by ‘nice,’” Miles shrugged, deciding to get the garland - he could always return it if he ended up not using it. “If you want, like, festive, homegrown cheer, I’d go color, but if you want something more classy, the white is cleaner...” Having lived in New York for more than a decade, it was the first time Miles had a home to decorate in years. Personally, he was looking forward to the architectural challenge of stringing lights; he wasn’t sure how long the feeling would last. “What do you think about an inflatable reindeer for the yard. Too tacky?” 

[van-dyne]

What being a superhero dad is like.. ‘I have a game tomorrow!’

[miles-dalton]

everdaugherty​:  

“Is there not anyone else that can do it?” Ever asked, picking at the stray bit of tinsel that had fallen off in front of him. “Or does anyone have to actually? I’m sure there’s going to be a Santa set up somewhere in town for all the kids to visit. Does Sophie still believe in him?” His mind wandered as he thought if his own daughter still believed in Santa. She was ten but that didn’t really mean anything, it could go either way.

**

Miles was running short on options. Usually, he would ask his dad, but considering the man was still recovering from knee surgery, it seemed like a bad idea. “Oh yeah, she believes big time,” he sighed. “We’ve got a tradition going - every Christmas Eve, Santa comes to visit before going to deliver all the toys. It’s a special thing, and I know she’ll be just gutted if it doesn’t happen. The last thing I want is a six year old asking me why Santa is mad at her... D’you— I mean, you have plans for Christmas, right?” It wasn’t a fully selfish question, though the idea of Ever dressing up as Santa was amusing. He knew the other man was going through a rough time, too, and Miles’ protective instincts were on high alert these days. 

[miles-dalton]

mateo-hayes​: 

“Well if you are worried about your brother doing it then maybe you should just do it yourself. Is that something you could see yourself doing?” He asked the other male as he raised his eyebrow slightly. He looked at the garland that the other male had been looking at and actually bough to use at home. “Well, I think you went with the right color garland. Are you big into Christmas? Like is it something that you look forward to?”

**

“I mean, I like Christmas as much as the next guy, I think,” he shrugged. “It’s just... my daughter. She’s six, and I kind of need this year to be perfect.” He didn’t bother to explain further - people tended to get sad and awkward as soon as he mentioned a dead wife, and Miles was tired of saying he was okay. “Y’know how no Christmas ever matches the magic of when you were a child? I need that. Only bigger.” 

[miles-dalton]

harper-thompson​: 

“Okay, well no one wants that.” Harper hummed, wishing they could offer more of a solution, but the redhead didn’t resemble Santa in the slightest, so couldn’t even offer to fill in. Which – Harper would totally offer to do, otherwise. Because making a kid’s Christmas special was something they were happy to help with. “Mmm, probably just Alana and I at home.” Neither of them had family in town, and weren’t keen on a huge travel this year to visit people. “Which is totally fine with me. PJs all day, cocoa, opening presents by the fireplace…” Harper much preferred the simple things. 

**

“That sounds like heaven, honestly,” he said, deciding expensive was better and placing four strings of the garland in his cart. “Last year Sophie got up at four, so I’ll be lucky if I can enforce a six am wake up time. I swear, if she wasn’t so cute...” He trailed off, knowing there was no weight behind any threat he might make. “You’re both welcome to come by mine if you want. Even just for a quick visit. My mom always makes way too much food, and then gripes when we don’t eat all of it.” 

[miles-dalton]

charliemulgrave​: 

Wise words—his mortal nemesis. Why did it seem like everybody besides him had life figured out at the moment? A stranger who knew next to nothing about him could judge a course of action for his life better than Charlie himself, meanwhile even in the face of complete logic his brain and gut continued to tell him two different things. It was annoying.

“You’re probably right,” he huffed, glaring at the necklace. It looked smug, if that was even possible. He might not get another chance to give Rachel a gift and if it was going to be the last one then she deserved something that would make her happy. That was all he wanted to do really, make her happy. He turned to the guy, assessing. He looked… well, a little sad to be honest. Charlie mulled over his words for a moment. “You buying something special too?”

**

It was nice, for a second, to be swept up in another person’s problem. He could see why Sarah had dedicated her life to it - that feeling of complete and total empathy. He could lay down his own pain for a moment, adopt someone else’s, and view it with the impartiality that comes from knowing a feeling is fleeting. He didn’t know if he was right, but he was honest, and after so long plastering on a smile for Sophie’s sake, that felt like enough. 

“For my daughter, yeah,” he nodded, his eyes going back to scanning the case. “My sister had this idea of me getting her a locket and, well... it’s not like I have any better ideas.” Sure, his closet was already piled full of toys that would show up from Santa on Christmas Day, but he didn’t want to pretend this holiday would be the same as all those that preceded it. It was the first Christmas his daughter would be without her mother - it felt wrong not to acknowledge that. 

“You should get the necklace. If you change your mind, you can always return it.”