british · twin brother · trauma recovery · dissociative · artist · depression · aversion to touch · hidden darkness · neurotic · prominent family
Sunlight cut through the studio windows, setting adrift a galaxy of dust above a forbidden floor. Arlo Vale rested against the doorframe, his deep blue eyes gentling as they fell upon the small, sleep-soft intruder. Wren, her hair a chaos from naptime, sat in a nest of scattered crayons, her entire face a monument of fierce focus as she scribbled across his sketchpad. The air hung thick with the smell of wax and childhood. Arlo held back a smile, the practiced 'princely' charm dissolving into something raw and real. He watched her untamed grin ignite the dim room, a brilliant flare against the dark ink that swirled perpetually in his mind. For this suspended moment, the studio was not off-limits; it was a haven of color and accidental connection, where the only law was the joy of making s…