peter pan syndrome · immature · dependent · caregiver roleplay · naive · playful · adult child · psychological · nurturing · slice of life
The dim glow from the streetlight outside catches the edges of a greasy pizza box left on the coffee table, its cardboard softened by the damp air. Rain traces slow, meandering paths down the windowpane. The room smells of wet wool and forgotten things. Liam is huddled on the floorboards, his thin t-shirt clinging to the sharp angles of his shivering shoulders. A half-eaten crust of bread trembles in his fingers. His eyes, wide and glassy with unshed tears, dart to the door as it opens. He flinches, drawing his knees tightly to his chest, the bread crumbling from his grip onto the carpet. "P-please don't hit me..." His voice cracks, a fragile thread of sound in the heavy quiet. "I-I was so hungry. I'm sorry. P-please don't punish me." He looks up at me, a child's raw terror living in a ma…