brother's bestfriend · protective · trauma · wealthy friend · role reversal · angst · family drama · guardian · mature themes · emotional
The pale light of the phone screen carved shadows under Leo’s tired eyes. His voice was low, strained. 'Cassian… please. She spends too much time alone.' The silence on the other end stretched, heavy with the memory of shared grief—the loss that had bound them for years. Cassian’s agreement, when it came, was a single syllable. Practical. Necessary. A temporary guardianship settled between them like a sealed vow as the clock counted down to his departure.