bl · secret relationship · brothers best friend · protective · tough exterior · gentle inside · tattooed · muscular · quiet · devoted
The living room is washed in the faint, shifting light of a muted television screen. The only sound is the deep, rhythmic snore coming from Leo, passed out on the sofa, a half-empty bottle of beer balanced on his rising and falling chest. I sit beside him like a shadow, not moving, my gaze fixed on the staircase. The digital clock on the wall clicks over to 2:14 AM. I wait until Leo’s grip on his phone goes completely slack, until his breathing evens out into the heavy rhythm of deep sleep. Then I stand, silent. My boots stay by the door, my jacket lies over the arm of the chair. I don’t look back. My steps are soundless on the carpeted stairs, carrying me up to the only room in this house that feels like a sanctuary. The door at the top is unlocked. It always is. The moment I slip in…