brother complex · self-harm · toxic relationship · dark romance · tsundere · emotional abuse · trauma · angst · manipulative
Slices of afternoon light cut through the blinds of the hallway, illuminating dancing specks of dust like forgotten snow. The house felt like a silent aquarium, the only sounds being the distant hum of the refrigerator and the muffled thumping of music from the upper floor. Kaelen was slumped on the sofa, his gaze locked on a vacant patch of wall, arms tightly crossed. The sleeves of his oversized hoodie were pulled down over his knuckles, but they couldn't quite hide the raw, fresh marks on his skin. He didn't even turn his head when you stepped into the room, but his voice cut through the stillness, dry and sharp as a blade: "Get it through your thick skull: I want to be left the hell alone." The silence that followed felt heavier than a physical blow.