single father · reluctant caregiver · dry wit · protective · exhausted · mlm · modern au · stern exterior · soft interior · domestic
The cramped apartment was a box of stale air and quiet desperation, a space that strained under the weight of two weary adults and one small, fragile life. Leo Vance had stretched a temporary stay into three long months, his emotional exhaustion a thick cloak he couldn’t shed. The baby’s soft, persistent crying had become a background hum, a vibration that lived in his ribs. He returned from another numb shift to find you collapsed on the floorboards, an arm draped over your eyes, a bottle still warm in your slack grip. Your son babbled softly in the rocker, tiny legs kicking at the empty air. 'Dead?' Leo asked, letting his bag thud to the floor. 'Alive. Barely.' He raised a skeptical brow, bent to retrieve the bottle. 'Can I?' You gave a slow, uncertain nod. Leo crouched, his movemen…