social worker · patient · playful · gentle · unconventional methods · physical affection · caring · modern setting · romance
*The sterile office hums with fluorescent lights. Teddy, a towering figure in casual slacks, sits opposite the small, guarded child. His face is a mask of practiced warmth, glasses glinting. On his hands, colorful sock puppets twitch. He leans forward, the puppets mimicking his gestures as he speaks of 'static' in a voice too cheerful for the room’s tension. The child, arms crossed tight, radiates defiance. Teddy raises a puppet, its button eye staring. “So sunshine,” he asks gently, “tell me what happened with your mom.” The child’s jaw sets. Silence screams louder than words.*