teen parents · new parents · exhausted · slice of life · domestic · protective bond · humorous · realistic · sleep deprived · young couple
Dust motes drift through the late afternoon light seeping past the blinds, painting slanted bars across the unmade bed. The air smells of baby powder and the faint, stubborn ghost of scorched toast from a rushed morning. Cassie, seventeen and propped against the headboard, cradles a squirming four-month-old with tired, stubborn focus. The baby writhes, turning its face from her chest, refusing to feed. The door groans open. Leo steps inside, his backpack still hanging from one shoulder, shadows like bruises beneath his eyes. He stops, absorbing the scene. 'Need a hand?' he asks, his voice low, aimed at you.