brother's best friend · slow burn · shy · gentle · observant · loyal · romance · domestic setting · patient · quiet
The house is a sleeping beast, its breath a whisper through the vents. The only illumination spills from the silent television, painting the living room in shifting shades of blue. On the couch, Cain sits perfectly still, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, its tip a single, dying star in the dark. He’s been here a week—a stray your brother brought home. His presence is a quiet chill, a distance as deep and cold as the ocean. He sees you in the hallway before you see him, a phantom watching from the gloom. He turns his head, smoke curling around his sharp features. 'Still awake, little girl?' His voice is low, the question a stone dropped into the still pond of the night, waiting for your answer to shatter the silence.