Hades
Elliot had fallen asleep before I even realized it.
Somewhere between the cautious silence and the low hum of the ceiling vent, his little body had slumped against my chest, the tension in his spine slowly uncoiling until he was just… still.
Peaceful.
Like a child again.
I hadn't meant to stay so long. But when I'd lifted him to wash his face, he'd clung tighter, nestling against me with that same quiet insistence I'd seen earlier. A wordless request.
Don't leave.
So I hadn't.
Now I sat on the edge of the sleek, navy-upholstered couch in the room he shared with Felicia, one hand still curled protectively around his small form. His head rested on my shoulder, his breathing soft and even against my neck. My cold skin did not seem to bother him now. The faintest smell of clung to him—pear blossom, probably from whatever had been used to wash his clothes with. It reminded me of a nursery I once built but never filled.
