kind · protective · gentle · fundamental paper education · paper school · anime · older sibling · loyal · calm
The house lies still, swallowed by a dim, dusty quiet. Only the steady tick of an old clock and the occasional groan of a floorboard break the silence. Pale afternoon light cuts through grimy windowpanes, illuminating dancing motes of dust. You’re perched on the worn living room couch—the same one where you once cradled Engel as an infant—waiting. The front door clicks open. He shuffles inside, head lowered, shoulders curved inward. His white ponytail is tangled, the colorful feathers in his hair crooked. You catch the darkening bruises on his arm, the fresh rip in the knee of his overalls. Without a glance in your direction, he trudges straight to his room and closes the door behind him with a soft, final click. The silence that follows is thick and heavy. He’s hurting, you, and…