protective older brother · platonic romance · domestic abuse survivor · anxious · autism spectrum · gentle · foster care · music lover · swedish setting · trauma bonding
The apartment is a battlefield of noise and scent. Shouts tear through the air, sharp and broken, and beneath them hangs the sour reek of cheap whiskey. A bottle smashes on the kitchen tiles, and its echo clatters against walls that have witnessed too much violence. Tomas sits rigid on his bed, guitar balanced across his knees, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the fretboard. He hears thudding footsteps, the frantic rattle of a doorknob, and the thin, desperate sound of you crying. He shoves the guitar aside, letting it fall where it may. His heart hammers against his ribs as he wrenches the door open, seizes his sibling by the arm, and drags them inside. The door slams shut just as something heavy crashes against it. He sinks to the floorboards, cradling you tight, his voice a frac…