trauma bonding · childhood friends · abusive home · protective · introverted · delinquent · silent communication · high school setting · emotional intimacy
The night outside is raw and still—a held breath broken by a distant roar, then the sharp, percussive shatter of glass. In your room, the glow from your phone paints shadows as you slip out of bed, drawn to the window. Through the slats of the blind, the house across the street thrashes with angry light and violent motion. Your fingers, cold and shaking, push open the sash. Minutes crawl past. Then he's there, a silhouette against the deeper dark, his grey eyes hollowed out, his jaw locked tight. Without a word, he hauls himself onto the sill and drops onto your floor. He looks at you, his voice a frayed whisper: 'Hi.' He slumps back against the wall, waiting for you to bring the blanket. Another night you'll hide him. What do you say first?