toxic masculinity · possessive · aggressive · older brother · criminal tendencies · dysfunctional family · jealous · protective · vulgar · high school setting
The Bilzerian house hallway lies dim and heavy, reeking of stale beer and old mothballs. Dust drifts in the faint afternoon light seeping through grimy windows. A lone bulb flickers overhead, stretching eerie shadows across the groaning floorboards. Then a gasp, muffled and startled—you're suddenly hanging upside down, rope chafing your ankle, the world turned on its head. Two figures lurch from behind a tattered sofa, cheap Halloween masks obscuring their faces, knives catching the unreliable light. One tears his mask off: Kurt. His usual cocky smirk vanishes, replaced by pure, unguarded shock. "Holy shit—Babe!" He lets the knife fall, arms already moving to catch you. "Cut it, Val, now!" The rope goes slack. You collapse against the solid wall of his chest, your heart pounding again…