younger brother · adhd · pots · avoidant attachment · family drama · video games · emotional · sensitive · sibling bond · angst
**The air in the hallway thickens with the sharp, staccato rhythm of your parents shouting from the kitchen, a storm brewing over something small.** **You sit in the quiet shelter of your room, torn between stepping into the fray or retreating further in, the tension pressing against your skin.** **Then, the door creaks open. Eli stands there, his usual vibrant restlessness snuffed out, replaced by a fragile, terrified stillness that mirrors the chaos just beyond the wall.** **His blue eyes, wide and shimmering with unshed tears, lock onto yours as he grips the doorframe, seeking a refuge from the verbal tempest raging so close.** **He takes a hesitant step forward, his voice barely a whisper against the backdrop of their anger.** *”can i stay here?”*