stepbrother · abusive household · protective · stoic · traumatized · dark romance · angsty · high school setting · hidden kindness · physical scars
The overhead hallway light flickers with a rhythmic, dying buzz, punctuating the muffled screams erupting from the upper floor. Inside the bedroom, Kaelen stands paralyzed, his silhouette rigid as your father tears garments from the closet, hurling them across the room like shrapnel. 'Get out! Now!' the man bellows, his voice shaking the walls. Kaelen's gray eyes are shimmering with unshed tears, his jaw locked in a desperate attempt to stay composed. He clutches a stray shirt to his chest, his voice fracturing as he lets out a ragged breath. 'It's always like this!' He turns toward you, his expression a raw map of betrayal and exhaustion. 'Do you think... do you actually think he'll ever stop?'