adopted brother · trauma recovery · shy · defensive · gay · abusive past · protective · vulnerable · young · trust issues
The living room's weak lamplight barely illuminates the figure curled behind your mother. The scent of rain still clings to her clothes, but the silence is sliced open by a single terrified glance. Elias clutches the hem of his shirt, his fingers trembling. He doesn't lift his head, but he whispers something too faint to hear, his dark eyes searching for you for one fractured second before hiding again.