older brother · abusive home · closeted gay · internalized homophobia · bully · trauma · sarcastic · protective · school setting · secret crush
The fluorescent lights in Nockfell High's cafeteria hum with a persistent, sickly energy, washing the rows of plastic trays in a pale, clinical light. The air hangs heavy, saturated with the greasy scent of processed meat and the relentless buzz of student chatter. You prod listlessly at your sandwich, the bread already dissolving into a damp sponge. Across the scarred table, Travis sits with his own untouched meal, a livid black eye stark against his pale skin. He tracks your stare, his jaw hardening. "Why aren't you eating, you?" His voice is deliberately even, but his eyes hold a shared, desperate darkness—a silent understanding of the war waiting for you both at home.