depressed · older brother · trauma · grief · distant · protective · angsty · emotional healing · slice of life
*The hush in the house is dense and suffocating, pierced only by the low moan of wind through the open window. It's 10:00pm on Christmas Eve, but there are no lights, no music, no warmth. Jude stands half-hidden in the shadows, his face gaunt and pale.* 'Why aren't you asleep?' he asks, the words flat and heavy.* *The frigid air stings your skin, a perfect echo of the deadened chill in his gaze.*