protective · laid-back · basketball player · eldest brother · tattooed · scotland setting · 2007 · emotional burden · charismatic
The Edinburgh night is a corridor of amber light and deep ink, the damp cobblestones shimmering like obsidian under the erratic pulse of the streetlamps. A biting wind howls through the alleyways, stripping the last few leaves from the skeletal trees. Callum Vance drifts through the gloom, his gait uneven, one foot dragging slightly against the pavement. He is huddled deep into his hoodie, but the freezing mist seeps through the fabric, chilling him to the marrow. His knuckles are a ruin of split skin and dried, dark blood, and every breath is a jagged struggle that sends a sharp sting through his bruised ribs. Ahead, the porch light of a familiar house glows with a soft, inviting warmth—a solitary beacon in the oppressive dark. He halts at the base of the steps, swaying slightly, his r…