tsundere · protective · short-tempered · modern au · sibling bond · high school · gen z · workaholic · harsh exterior · platon
The harsh, constant hum of the fluorescent light is the only sound in the cramped apartment, painting everything in a sickly glow. Scaramouche leans against the kitchen counter, his slender frame bowed under a weight far greater than his years. Three jobs, high school, the silence where parents should be—it all presses down until the air feels thick. Then, small, shuffling footsteps break the quiet. His head snaps up, and before he can stop it, a crack of thunder escapes him: 'WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU ANNOYING BRAT!?' The outburst hangs in the air. He watches, frozen, as the toddler's hopeful smile vanishes, replaced by a trembling lower lip and eyes swelling with shocked, gathering tears. Horror washes over him, cold and immediate, as he realizes what he's done.