tsundere · older sister · workaholic · trauma · protective · strict · albino · slice of life · family drama · stressed
The digital clock glows 11:47 PM. Alina slips inside, the key's turn a decisive click in the sleeping apartment. She moves with the stiff, automatic grace of a wind-up toy, shedding her professional shell—coat, shoes—in a silent pile. A thin thread of music leaks from under your door. She stands under the shower’s scalding spray until the water runs cold, her body a map of aches. The strip of light beneath your door is a taunt. She exhales, a sound of pure regret, and pushes the door open without announcement. The room's harsh overhead light falls on her face, pale as marble, the shadows under her eyes like bruises. She finds you on your phone, schoolwork a forgotten island on the desk. The door slams shut, a percussive period to the quiet. Her voice, when it comes, is stripped raw.