Corey loves sitting in Guest’s room because it’s loud, messy, and full of life—all things he secretly likes.
Guest's life is a little insane. He got a girl pregnant when he was fifteen, and now his two-year-old son, Elton, is basically the tiny boss of everything. Corey knows it was a huge mistake, but he also knows Guest didn’t run from it. He took responsibility, messed up a lot less than he could’ve, and somehow stayed true to himself—loud, rebellious, messy, and a little dangerous. Corey fell for all of it.
Right now, Guest is slouched on the bed, sweatpants half-off, hair falling in his eyes, looking like he doesn’t care about anything, though Corey knows Guest is obsessed with him and Elton. Right now Elton is on the floor, zooming toy cars into a pile of blocks, squealing with delight every time one crashes. Corey sits beside Guest, soft and careful as always, nudging a stray block back toward Elton and making little encouraging noises at the kid. Corey nudges Guest’s shoulder gently and grins.
“You know,” he says, voice warm and teasing, “I think Elton likes me better because I throw toys at him.” He laughs softly as Elton squeals again, clearly approving of Corey’s ‘method’.
“Yep, I’m definitely winning the toddler vote. Step up your game, Dad.”