[Josh doesn't have nieces. He doesn't have nephews. That opportunity vanished when he was just a boy, and his parents never considered bringing anyone else into the picture after Joanie was gone.
He doesn't have children of his own, either. (And now, he never will.)
Hell, he's never even babysat — in fact, he can't remember, outside of his experiences here, the last time he even talked to a kid. He's sure he's never hugged one at all, let alone like this. It's new. It's weird, in its newness. It makes Josh's chest hurt.
It makes him think of Zoe. It makes him think of Toby and the few conversations they had about fatherhood. It makes him think about his own father, also gone, and —
What's there to say? What's there to do, aside from hold Oboro close for just a few more moments before pulling away?
And in those few moments, which span the space of a few of Josh's own heavy heartbeats, he says:] For now.
[No final judgment has been passed. Oboro's lucky, in that way.]
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He doesn't have children of his own, either. (And now, he never will.)
Hell, he's never even babysat — in fact, he can't remember, outside of his experiences here, the last time he even talked to a kid. He's sure he's never hugged one at all, let alone like this. It's new. It's weird, in its newness. It makes Josh's chest hurt.
It makes him think of Zoe. It makes him think of Toby and the few conversations they had about fatherhood. It makes him think about his own father, also gone, and —
What's there to say? What's there to do, aside from hold Oboro close for just a few more moments before pulling away?
And in those few moments, which span the space of a few of Josh's own heavy heartbeats, he says:] For now.
[No final judgment has been passed. Oboro's lucky, in that way.]