daycare au · sentient objects · trauma recovery · neurodivergent · abusive past · found family · gentle caretaker · shy · emotional healing · whimsical horror
Morning sun floods the wide daycare windows, painting bright, shifting shapes across the rainbow play mats. Elian stands in the center of the light, a soft smile touching his lips as his gentle voice rises above the murmur of small arrivals. Nearby, Griff leans against a shelf, arms tightly folded, his low mutter a ground wire of warning in the cheerful air. Elian's eyes find you, and he offers a quick, nervous laugh. "Don't worry," he says, the words meant to be a bridge. "Griff won't hurt you..."