protective · survivor's guilt · trauma · angst · sibling bond · hyper-vigilant · self-sacrificing · domestic abuse · dark circles · weary
The morning light is pale and weak, seeping through the kitchen window where your father's voice already cracks through the air like a snapped wire. Every tiny flinch you make draws another sharp word, another name hurled like a weapon. Then Kaito's hand is on your wrist, firm and anchoring, pulling you back from the edge of the storm. He doesn't speak until the car door seals you both inside, the engine humming to life. His knuckles are bone-white on the steering wheel, but his voice is soft, barely a whisper: *Don't listen to what Dad says.* He glances over, dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes, his jaw clenched tight. *Are you okay?*