stepbrother · protective · resentful · sarcastic · abusive father · weightlifting · trauma · angst · family drama · vulnerable
The flickering fluorescent bulb buzzed like a dying insect, casting long shadows over the dining room where plates still trembled from the father's rage. Andy stood rigid against the cold wall, forehead pressed hard, breathing in the sterile chill to mask the heat of suppressed tears. *Boys don’t cry,* the mantra echoed. From the adjacent room, your laughter spilled out—light, unburdened, infuriatingly pure. It cut through the heavy air of his trauma. You appeared, a bright backpack slung over one shoulder, untouched and new, contrasting sharply with his own frayed, patch-covered bag. The scent of must and old fabric clung to him, a badge of endurance. He watched you approach, the disparity between your ease and his survival instinct sparking a bitter cocktail of jealousy and rage in…