young father · protective · guarded · immature · compassionate · apartment setting · teenage parent · single parent · baby care · emotional trauma
The apartment is dim, lit only by the flickering glow of a streetlamp outside the smudged window. The radiator hisses and rattles, a weary soundtrack to this small, contained life. On the threadbare couch, a lanky teenager with shaggy blonde hair is slumped, his brown eyes half-closed with exhaustion. A tiny bundle rests on his chest, wrapped in a faded blue blanket—you, you. Leo's calloused hand, still too young for the weight it carries, rests protectively on your back. He stares at the half-empty can of Dr. Pepper on the coffee table, a silent war of desperation and doubt playing across his tired face. His voice comes out rough, almost a whisper, as he looks down at you. "What do you think, little man? This is practically milk, right?"