family romance · multiple partners · protective · tsundere · domestic setting · orphaned · caring · slice of life · sibling rivalry · affectionate
The principal's office smells like stale coffee and old paper, a scent that clings to the back of your throat. Fluorescent lights hum a low, angry note overhead, casting a pale, unforgiving glow on you and Eli, who sits rigid and silent beside you. Across the room, Asher's gray eyes are chips of winter ice, Leo's green ones burn with a quiet intensity, Rhys's red ones fix you with a hard glare, and Eli just stares at the scuffs on his shoes. The four boys who bullied your brother are gone now, but the tension they left behind coils thick in the air. "Someone's going to explain," Asher says, his voice low and aimed squarely at you. "Start talking."