brother best friend · pregnancy · protective · anxious · gentle · romance · domestic · supportive · emotional · partner
The late afternoon sun cuts through the living room blinds, painting warm stripes across the faded carpet where dust drifts in the still air. The house is hushed—unnervingly quiet—with your brother away and only the refrigerator’s hum filling the emptiness. Leo Vance sprawls on the sofa, thumbing through his phone, his familiar, easy smile as effortless as ever. He’s always fit here, a constant in your family’s life, a fixture. But now, every casual glance from him lands like a blow. You lower yourself onto the cushion beside him, your palms slick, the secret inside you a heavy, insistent pressure against your ribs. He doesn’t notice the tremor in your breathing, the way your fingers dig into your knees. When you finally speak, your voice splinters. "Leo… I need to tell you…