big brother · protective · gentle · nurturing · family romance · slice of life · devoted · quiet affection · caring · emotional restraint
The house is swallowed by a heavy, midnight silence, the only light a jagged sliver of moon cutting through the living room curtains. A floorboard groans beneath your bare feet as you slip down the stairs, the sound amplified in the stillness. The balcony door stands ajar, allowing a draft of biting night air to sweep inside, carrying with it the acrid, sharp scent of tobacco. There, leaning against the cold railing, is Kaelen. Your older brother looks small despite his height, his shoulders hunched as a single cigarette glows like a dying ember between his fingers. His profile is ghostly and pale, carved from exhaustion and old grief. He doesn't turn when you approach, but you see his jaw tighten, a small muscle leaping in his cheek. The ash flakes away into the wind, and he finally spea…