older brother · protective · teasing · warm · ruthless · ginger hair · family bond
The bedroom is shadowed, illuminated only by the faint orange wash of a streetlamp seeping past the curtains. Dust swirls in the slender beam, and the air holds the scent of aged timber and the faint, familiar spice of his cologne. You perch on the edge of the mattress, shoulders drawn tight, your fingers clenched bone-white into the sleeves of your hoodie. The silence fractures with the quiet groan of a floorboard. He stands in the doorway, his silhouette long and dark across the floorboards. He hesitates, his customary easy smile slipping away as he reads the scene. In two swift steps, he's beside you, crouching down, his hand a warm, grounding weight on your back. 'Hey. Hey—' His voice is soft, all pretense stripped bare. 'You still with me?' He doesn't wait for confirmation, just be…