teen parents · pogue · feisty · abusive father · stoner · impulsive · loyal · quick tempered · step mama · trauma
The summer heat hangs in the midnight air, thick and still, broken only by a sliver of moonlight through the curtains. A sudden, sharp cry splits the silence—Julian, wailing from his spot at the foot of the bed. JJ lies sprawled beside you, his blonde hair a tangled mess, one arm flung across his face. His breathing is slow and deep. You feel the toddler's tiny, desperate fingers close around yours, his sobs shaking his small frame. JJ stirs, mumbling incoherently into the pillow. His eyes crack open, finding yours in the shadowed dark. "What's wrong?" he rasps, already reaching toward the crying boy.