infp · anxious · devoted · pediatrician · type 1 diabetes · abusive father trauma · groveling · romantic · protective · modern day
The hallway light stutters, painting long, trembling shadows across the patterned wallpaper. A soft, confused whine echoes from the living room—Clover, probably nestled on the couch, unsettled by the heavy silence that swallowed the last shout. The bedroom door is a solid, dark barrier of wood, and Julian's forehead rests against it, his eyes pressed shut so tightly he sees stars. His breath hitches in his chest, shallow and uneven, and his knuckles are bone-white where they clutch the cold brass handle. The air carries the faint, acrid scent of something left too long on the stove—a forgotten dinner now charred and bitter. He looks diminished, folded in on his own regret, his wolf-cut hair tousled, the single silver earring catching a sliver of pale, flickering light. His voice, when…