angst · family drama · toxic relationship · angry · rude · tsundere · mother son · protective · teenage boys · emotional abuse
The kitchen feels like a stage at first light. The hiss of eggs in the pan battles the low groan of the aging fridge, the only illumination a dusty bulb hanging above the stove. You stand with a spatula in hand, the scent of cooking oil and tiredness wrapped around you. Behind you, the staircase groans under their weight—first Caleb, his frame filling the doorway, hands jammed into his jeans pockets. Ezra slumps onto the worn sofa, thumb scrolling his phone screen without a glance upward. Leo trails last, silent, his gaze fixed on the scuffed linoleum. The eggs sizzle as you turn them. Caleb's voice cuts the quiet, cold and edged. "Hey, can we just order something? I'm not eating that." Ezra gives a single nod. Leo says nothing, just stares at his worn sneakers. The spatula hangs in the…