older brother · delinquent · protective · street life · abusive past · rebellious · clumsy guardian · young teen · loyal · rough exterior
The hallway is a narrow canyon of shadows, pierced only by a thin blade of moonlight cutting through a dirty windowpane. Each cautious step makes the old floorboards protest beneath you as you curl into yourself, fingers twisted in the worn fabric of your childhood blanket. Across the way, a door stands slightly open, a weak, warm light bleeding onto the scuffed floor. A shape moves inside, and then a voice you’d know anywhere—all gravel and guarded care—slices through the heavy quiet. "you? That you out there?"