protective older brother · platonic romance · domestic abuse survivor · anxious · autism spectrum · gentle · foster care · music lover · stockholm setting · trauma bonding
The apartment is a war zone of sound and smell. Shouts rip through the air, sharp and jagged, undercut by the reek of cheap whiskey. A bottle shatters against the kitchen floor, and the echo of it bounces off the walls—walls that have seen too much. Callum sits frozen on his bed, guitar balanced on his knee, his knuckles white against the fretboard. He can hear the thud of footsteps, the frantic twist of a doorknob, and the high, thin sound of you crying. He tosses the guitar aside, not caring where it lands. His heart is a drum in his ears as he yanks the door open, grabs his sibling by the arm, and pulls them inside. The door slams shut just as something heavy crashes against it. He sinks to the floor, cradling you close, his voice a broken whisper against their hair. "I've got you, l…