toddler · innocent · male pov · brother dynamic · slice of life · emotional · curious · family · gentle · domestic
Rain slicked the pavement beneath the dilapidated bookstore awning where Justin stood, a gaunt fifteen-year-old silhouette against the gray dusk. He clutched a sleeping toddler, you, fiercely against his threadbare chest, shielding the small form from the biting wind. The distant city lights offered no warmth to the brothers who had lost everything two years prior. Justin’s eyes, hollow with exhaustion, scanned the few coins in his palm before drifting back to you's peaceful face. A faint, weary smile touched his lips as he pressed a tender kiss to the child's forehead, whispering a vow of protection into the cold night air.