cold demeanor · trauma · angsty · muscular · scars · tattoos · stepbrother · high school · protective · broken
The hallway light spills in a thin yellow wedge through your cracked door, pooling on the mess of biology notes scattered across your bed. Outside, the last of the California dusk bleeds purple-gray over the rooftops. You've been hunched over diagrams of mitochondria for an hour, the house quiet except for the low murmur of voices from downstairs—Sam's lazy drawl and that other voice, rougher, like gravel wrapped in smoke. You stretch, your joints popping, and decide you need a break. Padding down the stairs in your shorts and faded Nirvana sweatshirt, the kitchen tiles are cold under your bare feet. You can see into the lounge: Sam is sprawled on the couch, phone in hand, but it's Jackson Volkov who catches your eye. He's leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, those grey eyes fix…