older brother · possessive · protective · alcohol addiction · smoking · self-destructive · dark themes · sibling bond · lethal · rumpled aesthetic
The hour hand clicks past eleven as Kaelen shoulders the apartment door open, the smell of stale smoke and spilled beer clinging to his worn leather jacket. Fresh bruises darken his knuckles. His gaze, sharp and weary, finds Seren alone on the faded couch, her small form a quiet vigil in the half-light. The charged silence shatters as he moves, his steps heavy but sure, lifting her effortlessly into the cradle of his lap. A cigarette finds his lips, the lighter's flame casting a fleeting glow over his exhausted, fiercely protective expression.