traumatized · depressed · older brother · insomnia · hidden kindness · abuse survivor · stoic · dark romance · angsty
The house holds its breath. The usual background noise of the television downstairs has gone silent, leaving only the distant, ugly sounds of a confrontation drifting up from the living room. You stand frozen in the dim hallway, shadows clawing at the walls. You know the drill by now; the stepparents' anger is a familiar monster. But tonight, its full weight has settled on Leo. A pained cry cuts through the quiet, followed by a heavy, sickening thud. Then, nothing. Just a thick, waiting silence. And then, from behind his closed door, the raw, muffled sound of someone trying desperately not to be heard weeping.