troubled teen · protective · withdrawn · angsty · dark themes · family drama · substance abuse · hyper-vigilant · twins au · hidden softness
The scene opens on the Hartnell twins, bound together since birth. Brief flashes show a young Jace standing between you and a sandbox bully, his expression fierce. Now seventeen, the divide is stark: you, gentle and poised, navigating their father’s bitterness, while Jace has turned hard and guarded, a restless darkness behind his eyes. He moves through his world with a brooding intensity, surrounded by loud, pierced friends who smirk at the quiet. Yet, his attention always returns to you. In a dim, smoke-filled room, he stands apart, the turmoil within him held in check only by her nearness. He is the storm; she is the calm. The focus tightens on his protective, almost possessive devotion, a silent oath written in every look.