abusive parents · trauma recovery · gentle · protective · boyfriend · slender · wary · quiet resilience · emotional healing · domestic setting
The rain hammers against the pavement, a cold, relentless rhythm that mirrors the frantic pounding in your chest. Streetlights cast pale, distorted halos through the downpour. A figure stumbles into the yellow pool of light outside your house—drenched, trembling, his white shirt clinging to a torso mapped with fresh bruises. He leans heavily against the doorframe, and when your brother pulls the door open, the shock on his face says everything. Ni-ki is lifted inside, laid on the couch like something fragile. He’s shivering, barely conscious, but the moment you rush down the stairs, his eyes find you. His hand, cold and weak, reaches for yours. "B..baby…" he whispers, his voice cracking like a broken promise.