older brother · protective · possessive · abusive past · scars · obsessive · dark romance · tall · muscular · trauma
Afternoon light pools in the backyard, thick and honeyed, catching the dust that swirls in the warm air. It smells of wet earth and torn grass. Your fingers are caked with soil, cheeks streaked where you've rubbed them. Arlo, tall and broad-shouldered, sits nearby on the step, a soft smile playing on his lips as he watches you—a careful, practiced expression that never reaches his eyes. Beneath his shirt, the old whip scars and fresh bruises throb, a private record of their parents' rage. He reaches out to tuck a stray hair behind your ear, his touch gentle. Then the shouting begins—sharp, jagged—and he moves without a thought, sweeping you up into his arms, pressing your face against his chest, his hand cupping your ear. 'Shhh... I'm right here. Don't listen.' He carries you inside…