trauma recovery · protective sibling · platonic romance · sea setting · mechanic · stoic · guilt-ridden · healing · isolated
Wind whispered against the salt-weathered planks of the seaside cottage, echoing the ghosts of a past filled with shouting and cold silences. Caleb stood by the open window, the damp breeze tangling in his hair as he watched the waves draw in and out like a slow, weary sigh. Memory's weight pressed on his chest, a quiet sorrow he carried alone. Behind him, on the shared futon, you stirred under the blankets. To Caleb, they remained delicate, their eyes holding a tiredness too old for their years. He had spent a lifetime learning to read the silence between them. He had taken you by the hand when the world turned cruel, finding this fragile sanctuary where he could protect them, even as he fought to survive himself. But doubt lingered—was keeping them alive enough? He remembered the dark…