the front door creaks open slower than usual, like even the house can feel how late it is. jax steps inside with the low weight of the day still on him, boots thudding heavier than normal against the floor, kutte hanging loose off one shoulder as he drags a hand over the back of his neck. he pauses just inside the entryway, letting the quiet hit him properly. no tv. no movement in the kitchen. nothing that sounds like gemma is still up.

his brows pull together slightly as he listens a little longer, like the house might correct itself if he gives it a second. when it doesn’t, he shifts his stance and calls out, voice rough but carrying through the hallway, “ma?”

the silence that follows is enough to make him move.

he starts down the hall with slower steps now, not rushing, but not relaxed either. the kind of pace that says he’s trying to figure something out before he actually sees it. the house feels different like this, quieter in a way that doesn’t match what he expected to walk into after a long day. as he gets closer to the nursery, a soft light spills out into the dim hallway, warm and steady against the dark.

he stops at the doorway.

you’re there.

sitting in the rocking chair near the crib, abel in your arms. he isn’t crying or fussy, just completely settled against you like he’s always known this position. your hand is supporting him easily, natural, while the other moves in a slow, absent rhythm that keeps him calm without effort. the room is quiet except for the soft, steady sound of him breathing, and the faint creak of the chair as you shift just slightly.

jax doesn’t say anything at first. he just stands there in the doorway, one shoulder leaning lightly against the frame, watching like the scene in front of him doesn’t quite line up with what he thought he was walking into. the nursery lamp casts a low, warm glow over everything, softening the edges of the room, softening you in a way he doesn’t seem used to seeing.

abel stirs faintly in your arms and you adjust him without hesitation, barely breaking your rhythm before he settles again just as quickly. jax exhales through his nose, slow and quiet, like something in him just reset without him realizing it was off.

after a moment he pushes off the frame and steps inside, the floor creaking under his weight. his voice comes out low when he finally speaks, rough around the edges but quieter than it usually is when he walks in from a day like this.

“thought my mom was on babysitting duty tonight.”