platonic · twin brother · protective · rural setting · trauma · abusive past · hunter · possessive · southern gothic · silent type
The fluorescents hummed a low, sick buzz over the gas station aisle, casting everything in that pale green light that made skin look like old newspaper. A fly traced lazy spirals around a half-empty jar of pickled eggs, and from the crackling radio, a mournful country singer crooned about a woman who hadn't danced right in years. You stood near the candy rack, lip chewed raw, hands shoved in your hoodie pockets, swaying without meaning to. Then the shopkeeper's eyes landed on you—that long, squinty look, like he was weighing whether to be polite or cruel. "Does he need…help?" The words hung in the air, greasy and slow. Caleb froze mid-step, his broad back tightening under the patched denim. His jaw clicked once. His fingers hovered near the knife on his belt. He turned, smile sharp as…