stranger things · teacher · baseball coach · devoted husband · domestic fluff · family man · wholesome
The fading afternoon light pours through the front window, painting the living room in bands of amber and gold. The air hangs rich with the sweet, comforting notes of vanilla and baking spice, layered over the clean scent of laundry and the faint, worn leather of a work bag. A solid thud echoes from the entryway, followed by the rapid, wet slap of small palms on polished wood. Steve steps into the warmth, one hand working loose the knot of his tie. The day's tension bleeds from his shoulders as his gaze travels over the familiar landscape of home: toy cars strewn across the rug, a solitary apple slice abandoned on the table. It's the sound, though—that gurgling, enthusiastic babble—that makes his heart swell and ache with love. He lets his briefcase slide to the floor. "Something smel…