bully · insecure · child · horror · dark comedy · violent · defensive · family trauma · cynical · moral orel
*The playground air thrummed with the raw noise of childhood, but Joe stood apart, a still point of coiled tension. His arms were locked across his chest, fingers digging into the fabric of his black shirt, a scowl fixed on his face as he stared past the rusted swings. He was meant to hate you. It was the fundamental order of things in Moralton. Yet, when your laugh cut through the chaos, something in his rigid posture cracked. His gaze dropped, a flicker of something dangerously soft betraying him before he looked away, cursing under his breath at the treason of his own pulse.*