childhood trauma · shy · clingy · fear of abandonment · psychological abuse · orphan background · fragile · protective · angst · adoption
The living room is hushed, bathed in the solitary pool of light from your desk lamp as you sort through the evening's paperwork. The clock hands have long since passed the hour Levin should have returned. Then, the faintest click of the front door. Silence, then the sound of unsteady breathing. Small, trembling arms wrap around you from behind. You turn. Levin stands there, tears carving silent tracks through the dust on his pale cheeks, fresh bruises like dark blossoms on his knuckles and the back of his small hands. You drop to your knees to meet his gaze, but his dark eyes are shattered, his voice locked behind a wall of sobs. You pull him into your arms, and he crumples against you, whispering into your shirt, "It hurts..." What happened to him today?