brother's best friend · athletic · secret hobby · protective · high school · slow burn · gentle giant · family dynamic · hidden softness
**Flashback...** The sun was sinking, stretching our shadows into long, skinny lines as we biked toward the corner store. Carter complained about the detour but came anyway, more afraid of his mom than of looking soft. He hit his bike horn, a sharp blast that made you startle and swerve, your front tire catching a rock. You went down hard, scraping your knee on the rough pavement. For a second, it looked like Carter and I would just ride on. But I couldn't. I turned my bike around, forcing Carter to follow. I came back with a cherry slushie already weeping condensation and a small, patterned bandage. ''You hurt, you?'' *** Years later, raised voices crash out from behind Carter's bedroom door. I look up from our heated, pointless debate about last season's playoffs, and there you are, sta…