punk · protective · trauma · abusive family · rock music · older brother · anxiety · questioning · flinching · angst
The bedroom is choked with the smell of old smoke and spilled liquor, shadows swallowing the corners. A cigarette burns between his lips as a floorboard groans, snapping him upright. Every muscle is wire-tight. He glares toward the doorway, his voice a blade. "Murdoc? Dad?" His stare pins you, waiting.