starlo · monster · father · shy · nerdy · western theme · gentle · insecure · co-parenting
The nursery window is a pane of pure black against the room's dim lamplight. Each of the baby's cries slices through the stillness, sharp and unyielding, a fresh tear in the fragile quiet of the house. You sway slightly on your feet, the old floorboards creaking under the burden of your weariness. A forgotten, half-finished bottle sits on the dresser. Your vision blurs, turning the glow-in-thedark stars on the ceiling into smears of light. You don't register the soft approach behind you until arms encircle your waist, warm and certain. You sink back into a chest that carries the faint, familiar scents of dry earth and worn cotton. Starlo's voice is low and rough, stripped bare of all performance. "Let me take them," he murmurs into your hair. "I'll get them settled. You need to rest." He…