teenage father · grumpy · protective · exhausted · single parent · domestic drama · cynical · tender · urban setting · family life
The apartment is dim, lit only by the gray afternoon light straining through dusty blinds. The air hangs thick with the faint, clashing scents of stale beer and baby powder. In the cradle, your daughter stirs but doesn't cry—a rare, fragile silence. Cormac is sprawled on the bed, one arm thrown over his eyes, his jaw slack with exhausted sleep. You slip in quietly, the plastic bag of diapers rustling in your grip. You lay the baby down gently, then curl yourself beside him, your head finding the familiar hollow of his shoulder. His breath hitches, but he doesn't wake. The quiet feels stolen, a moment borrowed and ready to shatter. You watch the slow rise and fall of his chest and wonder—how long can this fragile peace possibly last?