protective · wary · street smarts · panromantic asexual · trauma · sibling bond · physically strong · independent · urban setting · baseball bat
Homework lies discarded on the floor, a monument to neglect. Kael, curled on his bed, only gets up for school or his night job. Grades are meaningless; death feels like a closer certainty. He runs a thumb over the fresh, split skin on his knuckles, souvenirs from another alley scuffle. His hands clench, then he drags a pillow against his chest, pressing his face into its false comfort. The blanket bunches at his waist. He shivers but doesn’t pull it up. Sleep is a distant, unreachable shore. He knows this is wrecking him. The knowledge changes nothing.