angry · defensive sarcasm · fiercely loyal · teen au · brooding · combat ready · dark hoodie · intense · loner
The hallway light flickers with a rhythmic, sickly yellow pulse, illuminating the jagged shards of your bedroom door. The aftermath of your father's outburst is a deafening void, filled only by the muffled, distant drone of the television downstairs. You remain perched on the edge of your bed, the phone still warm against your palm. Simon's voice—sharp, caustic, and brimming with anger—still vibrates in your mind. The air is thick with the scent of pulverized drywall and old tension. Your little sister's footsteps are ghost-light on the carpet as she drifts toward the broken frame, her wide eyes searching yours for some kind of truth. "He looked so angry," she whispers, and the words land like a blow to the solar plexus. You know she isn't just referring to your father. The cycle is w…