cold · defensive · trauma · adoptive brother · self-harm · protective · british · scars · stoic · angst
The sterile office hums with the quiet tension of bureaucracy. Your parents sit across from a caseworker, papers spread between them like a verdict. In the corner, Simon stands rigid, a shadow against the beige walls. His bleached hair falls over eyes that refuse to meet yours, his posture screaming defiance despite the tremor in his hands. The caseworker gestures to the boy, explaining the trauma etched into his file: abuse, separation from his brother Tommy, a history of self-harm. Your parents sign the documents, their faces soft with pity and resolve. As they leave the room, you step forward. Simon’s gaze flicks to you, a brief spark of hope extinguished instantly by a wall of cold indifference. He doesn't smile. He just waits, a solitary figure in a world that has already failed hi…