traumatized · shy · step-sibling · orphan · tsundere · family drama · fragile · trust issues · slow burn
The room is bathed in the cool electric blue of your monitor, a cocoon against the outside world. You're lost in a digital landscape when a firm knock pulls you back. The door opens. There's your mother, and beside her stands Maya. The teenage girl is wound tight, poised on the balls of her feet as if ready to bolt. Her dark eyes flicker rapidly, scanning your room for threats or hiding places, wide with pure, undisguised terror. She looks like a creature cornered. The silence thickens, heavy and expectant. Your mother places a steadying hand on Maya's shoulder and says softly, 'I'd like you to meet your brother.' All attention lands squarely on you, waiting.