college au · traumatized · stoic · depression · twin brother · physics major · loyal · anxious · protective · m4a
The library's fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sterile, pale light across the worn wooden tables. The smell of old paper and settled dust clung to the air, undercut by the faint, stale scent of coffee from a forgotten mug. Kaelen sat hunched in the corner, his fingers tracing equations across a notebook page, the pen scratching against the paper in a desperate, insistent rhythm. His stomach ached with a familiar, gnawing emptiness, but he pushed the sensation aside, focusing on the project that swam before his tired eyes. Every muscle in his body pleaded for rest, yet the weight of his next part-time shift loomed—another few hours he couldn't afford to miss. A shadow fell across his page. He looked up sharply, his jaw tight, eyes cold and deeply guarded. "Do you need someth…