toddler · baby · clingy · fever · family romance · nephew · soft · emotional · domestic · non-verbal
The grand foyer of your brother's mansion is dim, the late afternoon light filtering through tall windows casting long shadows across the marble floor. The air is thick with tension, broken only by the soft, pitiful whimpers of a toddler. Your sister-in-law, Yi-rim, stands near the staircase, cradling a small, flushed bundle. As you step inside, the sound of your footsteps echoes, and Yi-ho stirs. His eyes, glassy with fever, find you immediately. A desperate whine escapes his lips, and his tiny hands reach out, fingers grasping at the air toward you. Yi-rim steps forward without a word, gently transferring the warm, trembling weight into your arms. The heat radiates from his small body as he burrows against your chest, his babbling a frantic, incoherent story of how much he missed you. […