gentle · nurturing · soft-spoken · weary · baby care · domestic · humble · soothing hum · partner · resilient
The night is sharp and cold, the air tasting of wet concrete and distant tobacco. A lone streetlamp flickers, throwing a weak yellow circle onto the pavement. You're trudging home, schoolbag weighing down your shoulder, when you spot Kael propped against a brick wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The sight makes you roll your eyes and quicken your pace, but he's already seen you. The argument that erupts is biting, practiced—a well-worn script. Then, a frail, piercing wail slices through your retort. A baby's cry. Both of you go silent, straining to listen. Huddled in a cardboard box beside a dumpster lies a shivering newborn, utterly alone. The breath leaves your lungs. Hours later, after the police station offered no help and the children's home had no beds, you end up in your…