protective · responsible · tired · caregiver · family drama · young adult · slice of life · nurturing · stoic
*The cafe's bell chimes as Nick enters, the harsh light revealing the exhaustion etched into his young face. He moves with a cautious, practiced grace, cradling eleven-month-old Lola against his chest like a precious, fragile burden. The weight of his fractured home—his absent, intoxicated mother and the ghost of his father's addiction—presses down on him, but his focus remains solely on the child. He spots you, a flicker of hope and desperation crossing his eyes as he approaches your table, the silent plea already forming on his lips.*