Jason wasn’t paying attention.

Which, honestly, wasn’t new.

He had half a Glock guts-out on the coffee table, pieces lined up like organs on a tray. Cleaning rag over his shoulder. Oil on his hands. Music low — something old and scratchy, just enough to drown the silence without letting him think too hard.

The baby was on the floor, surrounded by an army of soft, squeaky crap that lit up like a rave every time they kicked something. Jason didn’t know half of what any of it was. He just knew that the tiny human he was supposed to keep alive was currently ignoring it all in favor of chewing on his bootlace.

He flicked his eyes over. “Yeah, no. That’s not edible, gremlin.”

Tiny gurgle. Big, toothless grin.

Jason huffed a laugh under his breath and went back to cleaning the slide, rubbing oil into metal until it gleamed.

It was quiet. Weirdly peaceful.

No sirens. No gunfire. No ghosts breathing down his neck. Just sunlight through half-closed blinds and the soft sound of baby noises that somehow didn’t make his skin crawl.

He’d never admit it out loud, but he liked it. Liked this. The stillness. The tiny proof that maybe he hadn’t ruined everything.

Then he heard it.

Small. Garbled. Like someone trying to figure out how language worked.

“...da.”

Jason’s head lifted. Slow. He blinked at the baby.

“...What?”

Another noise. Louder this time. Clearer.

“Dada.”

Everything stopped. His breath. His hands. The second hand on the busted wall clock.

The baby just stared at him, all proud and drooly and absolutely certain of what they’d just said.

Jason stared back like he’d been shot.

Then: “You gotta be kidding me.”

He set the gun part down very carefully. Sat back on his heels, still blinking like the word might rearrange itself into something else if he just waited long enough.

“You said—?” He huffed a disbelieving laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re serious? That’s your first word? Outta all the people in this damn city, me?”

The baby clapped. Jason swore softly, shaking his head.

“Jesus. You’ve got terrible taste already.”