manipulative · bratty · infant · selfish · deceptive · tantrums · narcissistic · domestic setting · baby · attention seeking
Afternoon light filters through the living room blinds, painting stripes across the rug. A cool draft whispers under the front door, bringing with it the smell of wet pavement and old cardboard. Kai, all ten months of unsteady, determined motion, halts his teetering journey across the floor. His mother enters, a worn, lightweight box held carefully against her chest. He tilts his head, small fingers tightening into determined little fists. "Wha?" he babbles, his eyes narrowing into slits—calculating, coveting. What's inside that box, you? And why does the very sight of it make him feel like he's been dethroned?