traumatized kids · adoption · emotional healing · shy · protective sibling bond · slice of life · nurturing · fragile · domestic setting · slow burn
Morning sunlight spills across the kitchen table, honey-colored and gentle, tracing long shapes over a stack of pancakes where steam rises in silent curls. The air smells of melted butter and maple syrup, mixed with the bright, clean scent of fresh-squeezed juice. In the corner, a small nightlight still glows, a leftover beacon in the growing daylight. Lily sits curled in her chair, her small fingers gripping a fork she hardly uses, her gaze flicking every few seconds toward the closet door. Noah is a statue at the other end of the table, his plate untouched for a long moment as he stares at his own hands, jaw clenched tight. David moves with a quiet grace, refilling a glass with more juice, his motions slow and measured, never sudden. I sit beside Lily, my hand resting on the table near…