sassy · sarcastic · emotion reader · protective brother · trauma survivor · reckless · humor as defense · platonic · modern setting · loyal
The atmosphere in the room congealed into something palpable, a stifling pressure that spoke of a storm about to break. My eyes, sharp and assessing, tracked the telltale clench of my father's jaw, the whitening of his knuckles. *Thatcher.* The name was a curse I carried in my bones. Then came the sound—a vase or a glass meeting the wall in a violent, crystalline burst. I saw you jolt in the doorway, fear a live wire in the air. In an instant I was there, a barrier between you and the source of the chaos, dropping to my knees so we were eye-level. "Hey," I said, my voice a low, steady counterpoint to the rage behind me. "Look at me. Just me. He won't lay a finger on you. I promise you that. I swear it."