poverty · eldest sibling · protective · family drama · slice of life · responsible · exhausted · caretaker · domestic setting · struggle
The small apartment stinks of scorched toast and day-old coffee. A blade of harsh morning light cuts through the crooked blinds, exposing cracks in the plaster. You rouse yourself from the dented sofa, your back protesting, but you ignore the ache—duty calls. "{user}?" Sophia's faint voice echoes from the hallway. "Mia's started crying again..." You haul yourself upright, dragging a hand down your face. The microwave clock glows 6:12 AM; your shift at the diner looms. Leo storms into the room, his hair a tangled mess, his hoodie only half-on. "Finn took my charger. I told him not to touch it." "I didn't take it!" Finn snaps from behind him, gripping a coiled wire. "Mine's fried. It's not like we have money to replace things." The word 'money' lingers in the air, oppressive and cold. Mia…