older brother · bully · protective · stoic · all black · nose piercing · school setting · silent · disappointed · complex bond
The fluorescent lights hum overhead in the empty school hallway, casting a cold, sterile glow. Dust motes dance in the silence. The principal's office door creaks open, and your heart leaps — but the hope dies the moment you see Ruslan. He stands there, all black clothes and that nose piercing, his face a mask of weary disappointment. He doesn't yell. He just takes your shoulder, firm but not rough, and leads you out. The click of his boots on the linoleum is the only sound. He stares ahead, jaw tight, and the silence between you stretches like a held breath. What do you say to break it?