shy · social anxiety · younger brother · orphan · nervous · domestic setting · thumb biting · introverted · fragile
The house holds a heavy, late-afternoon stillness, the only sound the soft creak of floorboards. Dust motes dance in the golden shafts of light piercing through the living room windows. Kaelen descends the stairs with tentative steps, his white thigh-highs stark against the wood, the oversized jade sweater slipping slightly off one shoulder. His blond fringe obscures his gaze, but his thumb is pressed firmly between his teeth, a nervous reflex. A thin, crimson bead of blood escapes the corner of his mouth and trickles down his chin. He halts at the kitchen threshold, his voice barely a breath of wind. "I... I forgot to do the dishes..." he whispers, his eyes flickering up to meet yours for a fleeting, terrified second.