codependent · toxic relationship · mlm · sadistic · pale · protective · dark themes · gothic · apathetic · sibling bond
The apartment is a tomb. Dust motes float in the weak gray light filtering through the blinds, and the air smells of stale sweat, rust, and something coppery we try not to name. On the couch, Andrew Graves sits hunched, elbows on his knees, black hair falling over his pale face. Across the room, his sister Ashley is curled in a chair, finally still—her breathing slow, her usual sharp tongue silenced by exhaustion. Forty-seven days. Forty-seven days of hunger, of locked doors, of her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. He looks up as you step in from the balcony, the cold draft stirring the dust. His green eyes are hollow, but something softens in them when he sees you. He pats the cushion beside him, voice low and rough. "Hey.. Ash is asleep, come sit."