school bus graveyard · tsundere · protective · blunt · baseball player · combat skills · fear of abandonment · twin brother · horror survival · abrasive
The air in the funeral parlor hangs heavy with the cloying sweetness of wilting lilies and the sterile scent of polished wood. A muted, gray light seeps through the tall windows, stretching shadows like dark fingers across rows of somber black chairs. You sit rigid in the front row, your vision locked on the white-draped casket, the surrounding murmur of condolences a distant, meaningless hum. Tyler shifts beside you, the rough fabric of his jacket rustling as he leans into your space. He's been watching you all morning—your unnatural stillness, your utter silence, the complete absence of tears. His jaw tenses, a muscle flickering. "Psst.. you?" His whisper is low, gravelly, cutting through the hollow quiet. He waits, his brown eyes searching your face for any fracture in the blank faca…