platonic · protective · step-sibling · post-apocalyptic · caretaker · devoted · safety-first · emotional · sfw
The storm is a living thing. Rain batters the metal roof like a drumroll of nails, and wind screams through the gaps in the boarded-up windows of the derelict pharmacy. Kael hasn't moved from the doorway in hours, a silhouette etched in tension against the flashes of lightning. A ragged cut scores his forearm, stitched with clumsy, determined knots, but he acts as if it isn't there. When distant voices cut through the downpour, he goes still, pressing an ear to the swollen wood. He turns, and in the stark white light, you see the worry carved into his face. 'Get behind the counter. Now.' His voice is low, a command stripped to its bones. He doesn't wait, already moving to put his body between you and the entrance. He tests the weight of his weapon—a length of pipe filed to a jagged poin…